Light as a feather
by Clavyus
Summary: BRUCAS. She is twenty and he is twenty four, both living in NY. They are slightly acquainted from Tree Hill. They meet, and quickly fall hard for one another. A complete story.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own OTH, or any of its characters.

This is either a one-shot, or the first chapter of a short series. It's AU, Brooke, Peyton and Rachel are four years younger than the other characters. The background of the characters is still the same. Lucas and Brooke new each other slightly from THH and meet by chance in New York when he is 24 and she is 20. They fall for one another fast, et la nave va. This is "M", as there will be explicit sex scenes.

Chapter 1 – Brooke

It had been a long shift. Christmas was two weeks away and the store was still packed. After standing around for almost six hours in three-inch heels, my feet were sore and my smile was getting a little frazzled. He was standing next to a display of lacy underwear, looking a little lost.

He was mid-twenties, about six feet, thin, blonde with a buzz cut and was wearing a tan sports jacket, white shirt, sky-blue tie, dark blue slacks and sneakers. The ensemble looked relaxed and suggested college professor, or something like it. He also looked a bit familiar. I approached him, touching his arm. "Welcome to Victoria's Secret. Can I help you?" He startled a little, and looked straight into my eyes, with a half-smile.

"Hi. I..." slow recognition lighted up his face. "Brooke, right?"

After a little hesitation, I also recognized him. "Yes." I laugh a bit. "Lucas Scott."

He was an acquaintance from back home, a close friend of my bestie's long-time boyfriend. He was pretty hot back in high school, and looked even yummier now. I recalled the sharp blue eyes that always seemed to see a bit more than they should. I smile at him and straighten his tie. "Always cool to see an the face of an old friend." . I am not an akward fifteen-year-old anymore, and he looked both interesting and interested. Well, business first.

"What are you looking for, Mr. Scott?"

"Please, call me Luke. I've been dating this co-worker, and we've hooked up a couple of times. She is a very nice girl, sweet, pretty and smart, but a bit too... serious. You know, sober professional clothing, low shoes and no-nonsense underwear. I was hoping to give her some naughty girl undies for christmas, maybe spice things up a bit."

I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Well, a fine-looking specimen like this doesn't go around unattached for long, and he wouldn't be in this store buying gifts for his mother. Besides, a few dates and a couple of hook-ups didn't sound seriously taken. "Well, Luke, you certainly came to the right place. So, tell me a bit about your girl."

"Her name is Lindsay, and she works.." He was interrupted by Brooke's giggling.

"No, silly. I mean her size and her coloring"

He looks a bit embarassed. "Of course, sorry. She is a tall girl, maybe five foot nine, very fair, light brown hair and huge baby blue eyes. I believe she is a size four, with C cups."

I smile. Hm, attentive and knowledgeable. "Nothing to apologize, handsome. We can certainly work with this." I rummage a bit behind a counter and bring out two pairs of matching tiny panties and push-up bras, both lace in different patterns. One set is deep turquoise and the other a gorgeous burgundy red. "What do you think?"

He examines them, caressing the fabric with his fingertips. He is unembarassed and a bit aroused, probably imagining his girlfriend in them. "I like the red better. But the blue ones will bring out her eyes. I'll take the blue ones."

Clever. Red is sexier, specially in a fair girl, but the blue will make the gift more personal. "Good choice. Let me write this up and point you to the cashier. I'll wrap it for you."

"Thanks."

I give him a saucy smile and touch his arm. "You're welcome, handsome."

After I hand him the bag with his purchase, he holds my arm and looks me in the eyes. His clever blues gives me a little flutter.

"It was very nice seing you, Brooke. We should catch up sometime, maybe over coffee?"

Yes, definitely interested. "Do you have plans for tonight, Luke?"

His eyes brighten. "Not really. Some boys from the office were talking about a drink around the corner. They should probably be there about now. I was planning on a run, pizza and a book at home later."

"On a Friday night? What's with Lindsay?"

"She is out of town, back on Sunday evening."

"Hm, a sad, abandoned boy. Listen, sweety. My shift is over. Do you want to grab a bite, and catch up?" I'm laying odds with myself, about even actually, that someone is getting lucky tonight. It's been a long time, and he is seriously hot.

"Sure, I'd love to. I'll just text one of my boys to say that something came up."

"Give my ten minutes to change into street clothes. I'll be back." I hold onto his shoulder, go on tiptoes, and give him a quick peck on the lips. He smiles and looks startled. It's best to keep things moving forward.

I change into a short black leather skirt with light purple tights, white ballet shoes, black turtleneck and a white jacket. I leave my hair loose and reaply my make-up. Not particularly sexy, but well put together and pretty. When I come back, He is looking at the movement outside, still pretty hectic with holiday shoppers. "Luke."

He turns around, and checks me out slowly, lingering over my legs. Confident, maybe even a bit too much. I turn around, to give him a full view, and strut a bit, just to encourage him. This time he takes the initiative, and gives me a lingering kiss on the lips, to which I respond by grinding myself a bit against him. Keeping it PG-13, since, on one hand, it is my workplace, but, on the other, it is a Victoria's Secret store, and sexy is what's for sale. I say goodbye to my smiling colleagues and grab his arm, to head outside. "So, do you have any favorite restaurants in the neighborhood? I'm guessing you work around here somewhere."

"That's right, three blocks uptown, on Park. Do you like Thai? There is a little place a couple of blocks away."

"I know the place. Good choice."

It's a bit after six, and the streets are very crowded and noisy. We walk slowly. I hold his arm, without talking, pressing close to him. I like our silence, it's not strained. We are just enjoying each other's physical company. We arrive at the restaurant, and Luke proves to be a properly raised southern boy, holding the door for me, and pushing my chair. I enjoy his attentiveness, and the envious stares of the women sitting nearby. It's a small table and we sit across each other. He intertwines his long, strong fingers in one hand with my small ones and lightly touches one of his legs to mine under the table. I look into his eyes, and feel a rising flood of desire, unexpected and completely inappropriate. He manages to surprise me.

"You know, pretty girl. I think Lindsay is history."

It takes me a few seconds to catch up with myself. I give him a level stare. "I hope that is not on my account."

"Well, yes and no. I don't presume that anything beyond a nice meal and conversation will happen," and smiling, "although I do hope for more. The issue is that you've made such a strong impression in these few minutes, that my thing with Lindsay feels boring." He pauses for effect. "How is the exchange policy in unused items at Victoria's Secret?"

"You can probaby get a full refund..."

"No. I just want to exchange them for the red ones." and he looks into my eyes. "Size two and D cups?"

I giggle. "Double D's. I picked up a set of the red ones at the store for myself just now. I was hoping to show them to you later today." I have to get a hold of myself, or I'll end up doing him right on top of this table. We play each other like fiddles. The boys I've been with have either been assertive types, shallow and egocentric or skittish, yielding the initiative to me. Lucas seems to take the game, my favorite game, to a whole different level. Except that it doesn't feel like a game with him. And that is a scary thought." He probably thinks we are moving too fast as well. He breaks eye and leg contact, straightens up in his chair, keeping just the intertwined fingers.

"I'd like that. I remember I met you when I was a senior in high school, you were a freshmen. Your best friend, Peyton, right? She was dating my friend Jake, I kept in touch with him until the sophomore year in college, and he was doing the long distance thing with Peyton, but I haven't been in touch in three years. Do you know if they are still together?"

"Yes they are. Peyton is a junior at the Savannah Institute of Art and Design, and Jake teaches music in a local high school, coaches girl basketball and sings in bars and clubs. They actually got engaged a couple of months ago. They are planning to get married in Tree Hill in June, and I am going to be maid of honor. I talk to Peyton at least once a week and she is going to be thrilled I saw you."

The waiter comes to take their order. They both order shrimp pad thay, satay chicken as an appetizer and jasmin tea. "Well, say hi to Jake and Peyton from me. What about you, when did you arrive in New York?"

"I came to New York straight from high school, two and a half years ago. I am a junior at the Parsons School of Design, I've been working part time at Victoria's Secret for a year and I own a small fashion line called "Clothes over Bros", basically online sales, that I started in high school. I'm crazy busy, but I really enjoy it. What about you?"

"I've been in New York for a year and a half, working as a junior editor for a big publishing house called Brookline and Pearsons. I'm finishing a novel, that I hope to be sending to publishers in a month or so. The other big thing in my life is basketball. I played for two years in college, got injured and became an assistant coach for two years. Now I am coaching a group of really talented teens in a community center near my home in Queens."

"You live alone?"

"Yes. I live in a small two bedroom in an interesting neighborhood. I enjoy being alone with my books and my writing, maybe a bit too much. What about you?"

"I'm a social butterfly, as you may have guessed. I share a one-bedroom in SoHo with two other girls, Millie and Rachel. We were actually planning on going clubbing tonight. Do you want to come?"

Lucas smiles. "Sounds like fun, pretty girl. I'd love to meet your friends."

Our food arrives, first the tea and the appetizer, and then the entree. We start talking about music and quickly discover our tastes are completely incompatible. I like light pop, Britney Spears, for example, which Lucas hates. Lucas likes alternative and punk rock, like Honorary Title, NOFX and Audioslave, which I usually call "whiny, depressing shit". "God, it's like talking to Peyton. You two have the same damned taste in music." In fact, those two are close, both in looks and ways. A pair of tall, skinny, hot, broody blondes. I found myself a boy Peyton. No wonder I like him so much. I laugh at this thought.

"Share the thought?"

"I just realized you're like a boy Peyton."

He laughs. "I remember Peyton as this tall skinny cheerleader, long thin arms and legs, huge mess of curly hair, and a temper. I didn't really get what Jake saw in her."

"She's become a gorgeous leggy blonde, with this badass rocker style. The temper is still there, but she is very sweet with Jake. Those two are crazy for each other."

"I remember you too. I guess you were a bit slow to mature, cause at fifteen, you looked like you were twelve. And sort of shy too, I am not sure I heard you say more than half a dozen words before today. But you seemed to change when you were cheering. You looked older, sexy and full of energy. You were my favorite in the squad that year, I was always keeping an eye on you during the games. In truth, I was tempted to ask you out, but I felt I would look like a perv dating you. I'm glad I finally got my wish."

"I did have a bit of a crush on you freshmen year, so I'm also fullfiling a wish from back then."

I put my hands under my breasts. "These puppies showed up during the summer between freshmen and sophomore years. One year I was this little thing people barely noticed. Next year I had every Don Juan and his cousin in school sniffing after me. I had a lot of fun after that. I also became captain of the squad."

He looks at me and talks softly. I'm beginning to recognize this look as his hungry look. It lights a little fire between my legs. "Do you still have a Tree Hill cheer uniform?"

I look at him, with, what I assume, is my own version of the hungry look. "Yes. And it still fits perfectly."

"I confess I don't know which I would prefer to see on you. The red set from the store, or your old uniform."

"There is no reason to choose, broody. I'll let you undress me wearing both."

With that we get a little lost in our fantasies. We finish our meals quietly and call for the check, which he pays. We go out into the street, hand in hand. We don't kiss, because we both know we need a room. I suggest we go to my place, cause I can claim the bedroom for a couple of hours. I am supposed to meet the girls there to go out. He gets a cab, and fifteen minutes later we are arriving.

Our apartment is a third story walk-up, there is a nice living room, which doubles as Millie's bedroom, and a small bedroom, which I share with Rachel. It's messy, there is clothes everywhere and very girlish. Peyton painted a view of Central Park on one of the walls. Rachel and I are hopeless in the kitchen, the queens of take-out, but Millie is a pretty handy cook. There is nobody home yet, so we start kissing when we get inside, and things get pretty frantic. Before we start undressing, I get Lucas to the bedroom and close the door, with a black scrunchie in the knob, code for occupied – hot steamy sex in progress inside.

I take a little step backwards, put both my hands up, palm forward and smile at him. "I know, but we are going to enjoy this more if we take it slowly. First, I want you presentable when we go out, so an orderly undressing for you. Just kneel down here in front of me." He's got the hungry look, together with a very pleased smile.

"Sure, pretty girl"

I first remove his jacket, fold it and place it in Rachel's bed. His eyes follow me closely as I move about. Next I remove his tie and undo the first three buttons of his shirt. I hold his head with both my hands, and I give him a deep, slow kiss. I feel his big, strong hands in me, under my skirt. "Get up." He complies, and I finish unbuttoning his shirt. I caress his chest and abdomen, pleased with the strong, defined muscles. He's not really built, just very toned. I remove his shirt, folding it carefully on top of the jacket.

I get back to him, grab his sides and tease his nipples with my mouth, first one side then the other. He tastes of salty male, and I can smell sweat, soap and a little perfume on his skin. He smells very nice. While I tease his nipples, he puts his hand on my hair and groans. In the meantime, by touch, I am undoing his belt buckle and the buttons of his pants. I step backwards, keeping my hands on his chest. "Remove them." He takes off his shoes and socks first, pulls the pants down, hops a little to clear them and gives me the pants. I fold the pants and place them besides the jacket, as I examine him. Tiny black briefs, and a very large erection. He just stands there, smiling and relaxed. Hm. This boy knows he looks good. I kneel down in front of him, looking up into his eyes, and slowly pull down his briefs, clearing it from one foot, and then the other. I keep the briefs in my hands, and I nibble and lick his thighs. I set the briefs down in the floor, slide my hands slowly from his feet, his calves and thighs. I caress him while I take him in my mouth, sucking lightly, staring at his face while I do it. He nearly loses it then, but my boy has been around, and he can hold it in for a bit. I kiss it, tease his jewels lightly with my fingers and giggle, as I get up again, picking up the briefs, and setting them down on top of his slacks. "It's your turn now, gorgeous. Undress me".

He looks me in the eye. "I'm going to enjoy this, sexy." He takes my jacket away, folding it next to his jacket, and pulls my turtleneck from inside my skirt and pull it up slowly, revealing the red brassiere. He stops when my arms are up and my face is hidden by the shirt, and caresses me. "Very nice." He pulls out the turtleneck, reverses it, folds it and puts it on top of my jacket. Next he grabs my face and gives me a deep slow kiss. He kneels down, removes my shoes, finds the zipper in the back of the skirt, unzips it and pulls the skirt down slowly. Next he pulls down the pantyhose. He finds the piercing in my bellybutton, licking, nibbling and kissing around it. He also finds my tat, a small chinese character on the left side of my belly, right above the panties. He traces it lightly with his fingers. "Very sexy. What does it mean?" I've been asked this question many times, and my answer varies. I tell him the truth.

"It means love."

He gets up, and puts the skirt and pantyhose next to my jacket. Now I am left with the red set from the store. "God, you're beautiful."

I smile. "Thanks, Luke. You look pretty nice yourself. So, one promisse fulfilled. I twirl around, giving him a full view. Next I turn around, back to him, spread my legs, bend forwards, giving him a nice view. I tease myself with one hand, keeping the other on the ground. I can hear him breathing heavily. I pull myself up, and turn around, facing him. "So, finish the job? I am dying to have little Lucas there inside myself."

He uses both hands to undo the clasp of the bra, removing it and freeing me. I know with large boobs like mine, I don't get to keep them perky for very long, but, at twenty, they are still very, very nice. I pull my shoulders back and he goes to work sucking and licking. I keep my hands in his hair, and close my eyes, enjoying the electric pleasure. He leaves a trail of little kisses in my breasts, down my belly, and, in reaching the panty line, slowly pulls the panties down. He leaves the panties down, and slides a finger inside my fold. Very wet. He looks me in the eye and slowly licks his finger. "Hmm. Nice tasting girl." I just moan his name. He sticks a long finger inside me and spreads my fold with his other hand, going to work with his tongue in my nub, as he works his finger inside me. It doesn't take me long to come.

"I want you inside of me."

"Condoms?"

"First drawer there."

He finds a condom and opens it.

"Let me." I take the condom from him and do it, pinching the tip, and rolling it down his erection, pulling it until it is smooth and secure. I stand up on tiptoes, put my arms around his neck and kiss him, deeply. He holds me up, way up. This boy is strong. I pull my legs up, over his arms, and he slowly pulls me down, going inside me. I keep on kissing him, while he pulls me up and down, slowly. I know he won't last long, so I say "bed". He places me down, and he gets over me, back inside, completely filling me, and increasing his rhythm. I close my eyes and, as he finally drops his load, moaning my name, As he finishes, I come again, loudly.

I crawl up the bed, lying on my side, and he lies down facing me. He starts playing with my hair, looking into my eyes while I grab one of his hands, and play with his fingers. He pulls me in, chin on my head, embracing me, while I continue to play with his fingers. A post-coital cuddler, nice.

I love the feel of lying in his arms. I start to drift, as the excitement of being with him tones down a bit, and the long day of work makes itself felt again. I guess he is pretty tired too, because I can feel him fading as well.

I wake up with movement on the living room. Lucas is opening his eyes too.

"Hello, lover."

He gives me a broad smile. "Hi, lover." He gives me a very sweet slow kiss and asks. "Rested?"

"Somewhat."

"Me too. What time is it?"

I look at the alarm clock on my bedstand. "It's half past nine." We slept for a couple of hours."A shower?"

"That would be nice."

"Just a second." I go to my closet, and pull out a box. Inside I pick up a large hoodie and some boxers, which I hand to him. "I knew these would come in handy." I put on shorts and a tank top, and tie my hair in a lovers knot. I hand him a clean towel. "Ok, time to face the world."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Lucas

"Ok, it's time to face the world."

It's been about four hours since we met at Victoria's Secret, and I know I am in trouble. I've been in love exactly twice, once in high school, and once in college. My heart has a type. Intense, uninhibited, fearless. Brooke fits it perfectly. But the trouble is not how much she is like the others. What is freaking me out is how much she isn't. There is an innocence, a vulnerability, a light to Brooke that I never saw in the others. I've had my heart broken twice, but I've recovered. I'm a writer, and heartbreak is the finest raw material for my trade. I'm not afraid of heartbreak. But the way she pulls at me... I need to slow down, to get to know Brooke. I have a thousand questions floating around in my mind, about her history, her heart, her dreams. Annoyingly enough, foremost in my mind right now, I can't remember her last name.

She grabs my hand and pulls my slightly reluctant backside back to the living room. There are two girls there. A tall, gorgeous redhead wearing skinny jeans and a revealing white top and a pretty, shy looking brunette in a light blue business tailleur. The redhead grabs Brooke in a tight embrace. "So, you filthy whore. You finally decided to put the equipment in use again." She gives me a thorough once over and adds. "And such a fine piece of ass. Can I take him for a spin?" The redhead would probably also fit my type. I like her assertiveness, but I feel absolutely no sexual spark. I wonder if my reaction would still be the same if I had met the redhead before Brooke.

"Girls, this is Lucas Scott. These are my roomates Rachel Gattina and Millicent Huxtable."

I exaggerate my southern drawl for effect and do a slight flourish. "Enchanted to make y'alls acquaintance", which affords me an amused glance from Brooke, and a slight blush from Millicent.

Brooke turns to Rachel with a sharp look. "And the fine piece of ass is mine, slut." They exchange a glance and laugh.

"Ok, whore, hands off. But. How was the sex?"

Brooke deadpans it. "A hard ten"

That makes Millicent look at her feet, and Rachel give me a level stare of appreciation.

"Flattery will get you anything you want, pretty girl."

"No flattery, handsome. Just the truth. A gorgeous man and a generous and skillful lover, who somehow, knew exactly how to please the first time around.

Rachel sighs. "I'm doing something wrong. I haven't had sex that I would rate better than an eight in a year."

"Your problem is too many one-night stands, slut. Excellent sex requires knowing your lover, and that takes time. I never had a lover come pret-a-porter like Lucas here. She touches my arm and gives me the sweetest of smiles. "I think we are going to find out what exactly lies beyond a hard ten."

I don't find myself without words very often. But this made me speechless. Truth be told, this first time with Brooke was very good, easily in my top five. My first girlfriend was an incredibly sexy, enthusiastic and skilled older girl, who took the time to teach a young boy everything, and my college girlfriend was also an amazing, adventuresome lover. However, it was definitely against all my instincts to discuss this stuff in public.

"And where did you find this prince among man, whore?"

"He came into the store this afternoon to buy lingerie for his girlfriend."

Brooke and Rachel laugh.

"A fine piece of stolen ass. I see. I'm very proud of you."

Brooke snuggles against me and places a hand flat on my chest. "He was underappreciated."

I'm captivated by the give-and-take between these two. I put my arms around Brooke and pull her against me, looking at Rachel. "What about you two? How did you meet?"

Brooke is the one who answers. "We met in high school."

I must have looked surprised. I would have noticed the redhead if she was around. Brooke explains.

"She moved to Tree Hill for senior year. We hated each other at first, but eventually we became very close."

"What about you, Millicent? How did you meet?"

"Please, call me Millie. I work for Brooke, helping her run Clothes over Bros. I used to live with my parents in Jersey, but I would often crash in their couch when work ran a little late. Eventually they asked me to move in."

"Millie is the business manager at CoB and a sophomore at Columbia. Don't let the cute, shy act fool you. There is one hell of a sharp mind behind those green eyes. Rachel is a model, very on demand. If you keep an eye out, you will see her in a few outdoors around town. She moves around a lot, our apartment is just her home base."

Suddenly, Rachel's eyes widen and she points at me. "Of course! You are Lucas Scott! Co-captain of the state champion Ravens with your brother. I've seen your picture in the display case at Tree Hill High a bunch of times." She turns to Brooke. "You were there when they won state."

Brooke gives a broad grin. "And guess which player I had a crush on?"

Rachel turns to me. "Did you remember her from high school?"

"Sure. You know Peyton?" Rachel nods. Not a whole lot of love there. "Peyton was already dating Jake during freshman year. Jake was a close friend of mine, and Brooke and Peyton were joined at the hip, so we did hang out a few times. I had a bit of a crush on your friend too, although we never connected." I look into Brooke's eyes and give her a smile. "Until today."

We get a little lost in each others eyes for a moment. Rachel bursts our bubble, grabbing Brooke by the arm and dragging her to the bedroom. "Excuse us for a moment." She closes the door behind them. I smile, imagining the conversation taking place behind the bedroom door.

Millie speaks softly. "They are very close."

"I can see that."

Millie looks at me with a very sweet smile. "I've known Brooke for nearly two years now. I've never seen her look at a boy the way she is looks at you. That's probably what was freaking out Rachel. Please, be gentle with her. She is the most caring person I know."

"I'll do my best, Millie." I look into her eyes. "Is there someone in your life, sweetie?"

"No. I hardly have the time. Between CoB and Columbia, I have my hands full. Why?"

"I have a dear friend I would like to introduce to you. He's been unlucky with his heart, but he is a really good guy, and I think you two might hit it off. Would you mind?"

"No, I'm game, I guess. Give me your phone." She fiddles with it for a bit. "I put in my phone, and Brooke's, just in case." What's your friends name?

"Marvin. Marvin McFadden. He works as a fact checker for Sports Illustrated."

"Have him give me a call." She smiles. "Drinks after work, maybe. Brooke is always on my case that I should meet boys." I have a glimpse of the mind Brooke was talking about. "Trouble is, I have no patience for kissing frogs. I'd rather go straight to the prince."

I cast about the room for a letter or a magazine. I spot some kind of marketing envelope and check the recipient. Davis. Of course. PSawyer and BDavis. Millie is smiling at me. "You didn't know her last name."

I laugh, embarrassed. "I used to know it, but it's been six years. I'd forgotten it and it was killing me."

Rachel and Brooke come back into the living room. Rachel seems a bit subdued, and Brooke has a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Let's go, gorgeous, a shower awaits."

Soaping up a cuddly, responsive Brooke is the best foreplay ever. Her chestnut hair is long, almost to her buttocks, and soft. Her shampoo smells of green apples and she loves the handling of her hair, and the scalp massage. Then, I slowly soap up that exquisite body. My hands are rough, from years of handling a basketball, and her skin is silky soft, with hard toned muscle underneath. I take special care with her folds, until she starts moaning. She puts her hands on the wall and pushes her behind up and out. She is short, but has really long legs, so all I have to do is squat a bit. I take her from behind, holding her waist with one hand, as I caress her nub with the other. She keeps one hand in the wall, and turns back, grabbing my head with the other hand, and pulling me in for a kiss. Now, french kissing a slippery, very flexible girl, while inside her from behind. So, that's a sample of what is beyond a hard ten, I guess. I'm ready to explode, so I slow down the action, as I intensify my caress. She begins screaming my name, and I accelerate again. As I feel her walls contracting, I get there, hard.

We dry up, and Brooke gets close to me, with a hand in my chest, looking me in the eyes. I'm getting ready to kiss her, but I notice she is serious, a little sad, and there is a hint of tears in her eyes. I notice the moisture turns her amber eyes into a soft green. "What is it, pretty girl?"

"This is too much, too fast. What is it with you, with us?"

"I don't know. It scares me too."

"We should try to take it slow, get to know each other. I'm not sure we can, though."

I laugh. "It feels like there is only one speed for us. Straight downhill, without brakes."

"That's literally a recipe for disaster."

"I know. It's pretty exciting, though."

She gives me a level stare. "I don't know if I'm up for this, Luke."

That statement nearly stops my heart. I'm really not ready to let go of this incredible girl. If there is anything I've learned in life, it is that the only way to hold a girl like Brooke is with a soft touch, light as a feather.

I look into her eyes. "I know enough that if I am to hold onto you, pretty girl, it is with both hands open. Stay if you can. I'll treasure every minute. Go if you must. I'll miss you, but I'll wait for you to come back."

Her eyes soften. "Thank you, Luke. I guess that's exactly what I needed to hear." She goes on tiptoes and gives me the sweetest kiss I've ever got..

"Do you want to come to my place after the club tonight? Maybe spend the weekend?"

"I have work to do, sweetie. I need to complete the sketches for my spring line, and I have a project to finish for school."

"I have work too. Basketball practice tomorrow morning, manuscripts to read and my own novel to work on. We can keep ourselves company, maybe get to know each other a bit, and have a little fun."

"Ok, Luke. You're on. I'll make a little suitcase with some changes of clothing and my work. We will swing by after the club and pick it up on the way to your apartment. Do you run?"

"Yes I do. We can go for a run tomorrow morning. Three miles? I'll cook breakfast afterwards. It has to be early, say, around seven. Basketball practice starts at nine."

"Three miles is fine. I don't usually wake up that early, but it's ok. I can go back to sleep a bit after breakfast. You a good cook?"

I smile. "You're in for a treat."

"I like the confidence."

The club was just three blocks away, so we walked. Brooke and Rachel were wearing minidresses, Brooke in red and Rachel in black, with stilleto pumps. Millie had black skinny jeans, a green tank top and sandals in matching color. The doorman knew the girls, so we went right in. We found a small table in the VIP mezzanine, and, after a couple of rounds of shots, Rachel and Brooke went dancing.

"So, Millie, How long have you worked for Brooke?"

"About two years. I answered an ad for a part time secretary job and became Brooke's assistant. In the beginning Clothes over Bros was just an internet site and Brooke's designs. Buying the materials, making the items, shipping, accounting, it was all done by third parties. My job, initially was to answer customer complaints, making sure the contractors did what they are supposed to do, making payments, and so on. The whole thing kept growing, with Brooke's designs getting organized in seasonal showings, adding physical points-of-sale in stores, systematic marketing. We kept hiring more people, like seamstresses, to physically make prototypes and runway items, we started keeping some inventory, improving our customer relations. Now we rent a three story building in the garment district, and we have thirty employees. Revenue is at high seven figures, but we are probably going to expand dramatically next year, mainly through sales in large chains. We have a meeting next week with Victoria's Secret, and if it goes well, other retailers will probably follow. This will mean a dramatic expansion in sales and revenue."

"If Brooke is running a large, successful business, why is she working as a salesperson?"

"She says she needs to have some personal contact with the customers. We want to open our own store sometime, and then I imagine she would work there occasionally. Brooke is an incredible designer. I think she will soon be leading the industry and dictating fashion. You can already see it in small ways. This year's collections of the large retailers, specially those marketing for teens and young adults, are influenced by design choices introduced by Brooke last year."

"You clearly love your work."

"I love working with Brooke. By all rights, she should be an insufferable diva. Instead, she is warm, caring and principled. She also works harder than anyone else. Her biggest problem is her witch of a mother..."

Brooke comes back from the dance floor, glowing with sweat and very happy. "Rachel found a nice boy toy to play for the night." She sits on my lap, finishes my drink and gives me a glorious, sloppy kiss. "It's your turn, gorgeous. Your presence is required at the dance floor."

"I'm not a very good dancer, pretty girl. I hope I won't disappoint."

"Just relax, follow my lead, and you'll be fine."

The music has a fast beat, and I start moving to it, keeping my eyes on Brooke. She is looking at me with an amused expression. She pulls my head down and speaks in my ear. "Relax, gorgeous. Loosen those hips." She places her hands on my hips, and pulls me along, until she can feel me moving more freely with the music. She gives me a bit of space and shows me arm and shoulders motion, and leg movement. I follow her lead, and I can feel myself beginning to enjoy it. She pulls me down again and

whispers. "Good boy. Now keep doing it, but focus on me. Enjoy the show." Brooke goes into an incredible bump-and-grind , eyes in my eyes, hips moving with a life of their own. First her arms are up, over her head, then her hands come down, back of the neck, down her sides, back at her buttocks. And up again. She turns around, grinds her backside into me and goes down, twisting in tempo. I go right down with her, hands lightly in her hips. Now we are glued together, my front to her back, She goes back, and I keep following her lead, truly enjoying dancing for the first time in my life. We keep going for another couple of songs, until she grabs my hand and pulls me back to the mezzanine. When we get there Millie is gone, and we are both a bit short of breath.

"Very nice, pretty girl. You can take me dancing anytime you want."

She laughs. "I knew it. Someone as good in bed as you are couldn't be a bad dancer. All you needed was a little encouragement."

"You are incredible."

She shrugs. "When I was a teenager, had this dream of being a stripper. In those days, I channeled my exhibitionist tendencies into cheering. Now all I get is occasional clubbing, or private performance." She gives me this smoky look, which I've already associated with arousal. "I took lessons, lover."

"I look forward to a private performance, babe."

"You are in for a treat."

We laugh at her tossing my words back at me. She seems to be completely at ease with who she is, and what she likes. There is a serenity to her outlook that I find captivating, and that I envy a bit. I think Brooke is what some people call "an old soul". She sits in my lap, and we engage in some slow PG-13 PDA. Somehow, this ordinary Friday turned into the best day of my life when I went into Victoria's Secret. Brooke is nibbling my ear when Millie comes back, eyes bright, sweaty and smiling, with a handsome black guy in tow. Shaved head, elegant cut suit and tie, poised.

"Hi guys, this is Neal. Neal, these are my friends Brooke and Lucas."

Brooke sizes up Millie's boy. She shows her approval with a smile. "Hi, Neal. Millie, sweety, we were planning to take off. Do you want to stay, or walk back home with us?"

Millie puts a hand on Neal's shoulder. "I want to dance some more. Would you walk me home afterwards? It's just three blocks from here."

Neal smiles at her. "Sure, I'll be happy to do it."

I get up. Neal seems like a decent guy, but I am now a friend, so I must do my thing. I invade his personal space a bit, and give him a serious, mean stare right in the eyes. "Take good care of her, man. Or else."

He takes a half-step backwards, but stays friendly. "Don't worry dawg. Clean fun and good intentions only. Here is my card." I glance at the card. He is a lawyer with a big uptown firm. That seems reputable enough. Brooke hugs Millie and I give her a kiss in the cheek. "Bye, friend. I'll be seeing you."

I get a bright smile. "Bye, Lucas." With a sly look at Brooke. "Enjoy your weekend."

We walk slowly outside, hand-in-hand, enjoying the night air. After a couple of minutes Brooke speaks softly. "I loved you being protective with Millie."

"I like her."

"You know, that's easy. Everybody likes her. She obviously likes you too, and that is unusual. For all her innocence, Millie is slow to warm up to people, and she has great instincts. I always loop her in when hiring someone, and she is right on the money most of the time. I guess, in the future, I'll be using her to vet boyfriends as well. Brooke gives me a broad smile, knowing full well what she just said.

My heart skips a beat. "Boyfriend."

She bites her lower lip and looks a bit shy. "You know as well as I do this is not just a fling."

I grab her by her waist, lifting her up, and swirling her around. "Girlfriend." I laugh. "You are amazing, Brooke Davis." I bring my new girlfriend back to the ground and kiss her. I finish the walk to her building with my head in the clouds. I look at my watch. Half past eleven. Six hours since the store. Downhill without brakes, indeed.

We pick up her suitcase and quickly find a cab. A bit past midnight, we arrive at my building. It's a six-story brick building from the fifties, charming and well-kept, in a neighborhood that is undergoing gentrification. Nearby, there is a mixture of ethnic businesses, pawn shops and small churches, together with little boutiques, art stores and trendy little restaurants. My apartment is in the fourth floor, so we take the elevator. I open the door and she rushes in, bouncy energy and childlike curiosity getting the better of her. The apartment is a spacious two-bedroom, with a large living room integrated with the kitchen and a dining room, plus two bedrooms. The master bedroom has a full bathroom en suite, with a huge bathtub. There is also a small half-bathroom attached to the kitchen. The second bedroom is my office and doubles as a guest bedroom. It's clean and orderly. She takes in the décor, well-appointed and well-used kitchen, a large black leather couch. Trophies, books, a large flat-screen. Sound system, with an old-fashioned record player and a large record collection. She looks at my records, picks up and gives me an old solo album by Duke Ellington. As I set it up, and the smoky piano fills the room, I hear a squeal from my bedroom. She found the four-post canopied, king size bed. And another squeal. Now she found the bathtub. She runs back to the living room and launches herself at me.

"Holy shit, boyfriend. This is incredible. Can I move here?"

I laugh softly. "You sure can, pretty girl. But it's going to screw up your commute."

"That bathtub! And the bed. It looks like you arranged this place thinking of me. What a dream!"

"I guess I was sort of thinking of you. I wanted something that the girl of my dreams would enjoy."

"The girl of your dreams. You have a way with words, boyfriend. Keep it up, and you'll get lucky every time. How many girls have you had here?"

"I've had female visitors. My mother, my sister, my sister-in-law. Small parties with friends. But in the sense you mean, you are the first."

"I find that hard to believe."

"I am not a player, pretty girl. Since I've been in New York, you are precisely the second girl I've been with. And both times I hooked up with Lindsay, it was at her place in Manhattan. I was a bit of a slut in college for a while, but that really doesn't suit me."

"How much do you pay for this place?" This incredible girl is, among many other things, a millionaire businesswoman.

"I own it outright." She looks surprised. "I had a college fund I never used, and I've been making decent money since I was sixteen, first as a car mechanic and later as a writer. I don't spend much. A small loan from my mother, which I already repayed, completed the deal."

"You're talking half a million or so..."

"A little less. The place was in bad shape. I enjoy working with my hands, and I am pretty handy." I love showing her some substance. I find the millionaire thing a little daunting."I think we are owing each other a slow dance."

She smiles, as I dim the lights and raise the volume on the Duke a bit. I hold her in my arms, feeling the warmth of her body against mine. She is a great dancer, and I am not bad at this. The record finishes, and we kiss, slow and deep. She stops the kiss with a hand in my chest. "Let me slip into something more comfortable." She picks up her suitcase, and goes into my bedroom. I put away the Duke, and sit at the couch, contemplating the dramatically changed landscape of my life. I feel the sudden need to share, with someone, what's happening, to make it real. There's only one person I can call. Haley James Scott, my sister in law, confidant and best friend. I drop her a text instead. "Hi, Hales, I met someone. The girl of my dreams, the future mother of my children. It's crazy. We'll talk later. Say hi to Nate and Jamie."

As I am sending the text, Brooke comes back to the living room. She has removed her make-up, tied up her hair in a lovers knot, she is barefoot and wearing an old t-shirt of mine, a Ravens number three jersey. She lifts the jersey, to show me there is nothing but Brooke under it. "You were very sexy in that dress. But you're twice as sexy now."

"I know. Who were you texting?"

"A girl."

She lifts an eyebrow. "Really?"

"You're going to have to meet her. We need her approval. Her name is Haley James Scott."

"The singer? She is very cute."

"One and only. She is my sister-in-law. But she is also my oldest, and dearest friend."

"Your best friend is a girl. I knew there was something odd about you. Have you ever considered becoming gay?"

We both laugh. "I considered it. But I like pussy way too much."

"I know."

"I was raised by a single mother. I have male friends, but I only feel truly comfortable with women." I give her an apologetic shrug. "I had to tell someone about you, about us. It makes it real, somehow."

"And what did you write?" I am very embarrassed, but I give her the phone. I am not going to hide anything from her.

She looks at it, but, much to my surprise, she doesn't laugh. She just says. "I am glad I'm not alone. You've got it just as bad as I do. We are in so much trouble, boyfriend."

She grabs my hand and pulls me to the bedroom. "Take off your clothes and lie in the bed. I don't think we need any foreplay right now. I just need you inside me."

I lie down, and she straddles me, keeping the shirt. "You know, right now, the simple sight of you lights a fire between my legs."

"For me, it's your voice. You can probably get me going just reading the telephone book aloud."

She giggles. "Condom?"

"Top drawer of the left nightstand."

She puts it in, and slowly sits on me. She stops like that for a second, hands flat in my chest, eyes in my eyes.

"I know I shouldn't say this, but I will anyways. I love you, pretty girl."

She smiles softly at that. "I've been told that boys in your current position will say anything, so I won't hold it against you. But I will tell you, I love you too, boyfriend. And this is the first time I say that to a man, no matter in which position. "

She begins swaying her hips back and forth, very slowly, while tracing circles in my chest with her fingers. We lose ourselves in each others eyes and time just seems to stop.

"Ah, Luke, lover, boyfriend, my love. I'll never get enough of you."

"I'll be here for you, my love, as long as you want me."

Her movement finally becomes more urgent. For the third time tonight, we crash together, an intense, drawn out, almost painful orgasm.

In the dark, falling asleep in in her arms, I hear her whisper.

"So, this is what they mean by "making love" after all."

I smile in the dark, and I whisper back. "It's definitely well beyond the hard ten."

She giggles. "It sure is."

The alarm goes off at seven, and we awake to a tangled mess of Brooke, myself and the sheets.

"Good morning, pretty girl. We go for a run?"

"She blinks at me, clearly still partially asleep. She looks about, looks at me and I can see when the memory of last night comes fully up. She looks at me, astonished. Good lord, boyfriend. Did all that really happen? It wasn't a dream? Oh boy, this is going to take some adjusting.." She squeals and jumps at me, dropping me back in the bed, and covering me in little kisses. I grab her, turn her around into the bed and tickle her. She screams. "I will kill you, boyfriend." I shut her up with a sloppy kiss, to which she responds enthusiastically.

"So," after a bit. "Run?"

"Give me a minute."

She puts on running shorts and a sports bra, and hunts in my closet for a sweat shirt, choosing a faded hoodie with "Keith's Auto Shop" in the back. She puts on running shoes, and she is all set. In the mean time, I also got ready, so we go out. I set a medium pace, and I look at her. "This is fine. You can even go a little faster." I tighten the pace a bit, and she seems quite capable of keeping up. We go for my usual route, which is about half a mile to a nearby park, a couple of circuits around the park, and half a mile back. The whole circuit is about three miles, and it takes us a bit more than half an hour, without getting winded. We chat about the neighborhood and about running, which she clearly enjoys a great deal. Back at the apartment, I tell her to go for a shower, while I prepare breakfast. I tell her I'll leave showering for after the practice, because I always play a little with the boys.

When she comes back, wrapped in a towel, and drying her hair with another towel, I am setting plates. "French toast, bacon, OJ and a skim latte. Jam or syrup with the toast?"

"Syrup."

We sit and she tries a bite of the french toast. I'm waiting for her reaction.

"Hm. Sexy and a good cook. Definitely a keeper. This is the second-best french toast I've ever tasted."

I lift an eyebrow for her. "Second-best."

There is a little diner in Tree Hill, called Karen's Cafe. That's were the best french toast..."

My laughter interrupts her. "What?"

"I completely agree with you, pretty girl. My mother taught me how to make french toast. I do it good, but she still does it better."

"Wait." She looks at me with wide eyes. "You are Karen's son."

"One and only. She has a daughter, but no other sons."

"I know Lilly. And your mom. Shit." Brooke is clearly very disturbed by this news.

She starts pacing up and down, talking fast to herself.

"I knew she had a son, she raised alone. I knew he played basketball. I know Luke's story with Nathan and Dan Scott. I didn't know Karen was the abandoned girl in the story. I never put it together. I never imagined. Shit."

"What is it, pretty girl? What's the problem?"

She stares at me, eyes wide, clearly distraught. "You are Karen's son!"

"That's a good thing, pretty girl. She is a really great mother."

She screams. "I know!" She grabs her suitcase and starts putting her stuff into it. "I can't do this. This is too much. I need some time."

She turns to me, halfway to the door. Tears running down her face. "Lucas, I need some time. Please, Lucas, I'll come back, I'll explain. Just give me some time."

I think of putting my arms around her, but that doesn't feel right. I remember my words to her yesterday. "Go if you must, pretty girl. Take your time. I'll be waiting for you." She gives me a quick kiss and leaves.

I stand, stunned, in front of the closed door. So, this was the crash at the bottom of the hill. I sure as hell wouldn't have predicted that being my mother's son would be a problem. Dan's son, sure, that's a problem. But my sweet, dear mother? I'll call her later, see if she has some clue as to what just happened.

Right now, duty calls. I finish up my breakfast, clean up, drop a text to Haley saying that, apparently, the love of my life just ran away for the hills, after hearing I'm Karen's son. I also promise her I'll call in the afternoon. I pick up my playbook, my whistle and head out to practice.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Brooke

I can't wait for the elevator. I have to move, I have to keep moving. I can feel the tears coming down my face, falling onto his hoodie. How can it be so hard, tearing myself away from him? Less than a day, and that boy turned my life inside out. My boyfriend. My love. Outside, find a cab. Get in. Where do I go? I can't deal with Rachel and Millie now. I give the cabbie the address to the CoB building. I have work to do, anyways.

The cab trip is a blank. I keep picturing his sad, worried face when I left. I knew I would end up hurting him. I just didn't expect it would be so soon. My mind keeps circling around, around what I don't want to confront. He is Karen's son. Her beloved boy. I know how much she missed him, how her eyes would mist when she thought about him. I can't believe that, through all the time I knew her, his name never came up. I thought of him as Ukie, the way Lilly referred to him. Ukie. Luke. Damn. So stupid, Brookie Cookie. One look at those blue eyes, and all my brain cells go out for a spin. I actually smile through my tears. That didn't begin yesterday. I remember his eyes had the same effect on my fifteen-year-old self. Banish all thought process, leaving poor little me speechless. I guess I was downplaying exactly how much of a crush I had on him back then. I remember daydreaming of his big hands on my little boobs. Oh, lord. His hands. On me. Everywhere. It's hard to think, to even feel something, when every cell in my body is screaming to go back to that apartment in Queens and screw him blind. I need to put a clamp on this. Never mind, I have a lot of work to do.

The cab dropped me at CoB. I let myself in, and I can hear a sewing machine in the background. The seamstresses had to prepare for a private showing next week, a group of buyers from the midwest was doing the rounds of small trendy labels in town, and we got a foot in. There was probably just the seamstress, and maybe the janitor around. I took the stairs to my office/atelier on the top floor. This is one of my favorite places in the whole world. It occupies half the top floor, a squarish space, about thirty by thirty feet. There is a large desk, a couple of file cabinets behind it, a seamstress table covered with fabric samples and design molds, a sewing machine, a large brown leather sofa, with two chairs and a coffee table, a couple of drawing tables with high benches on a side, a free standing white board against a wall, covered with information. A large rack with samples of most of the pieces currently under production, as well as some pieces from competitors, a small refrigerator, with some liquor bottles and glasses on top. One of the walls has huge oil painting of a runway, with faceless audience and an exquisitly rendered model in the foreground, wearing a long flowing red dress. The painting was a gift from PSawyer, who also fell in love with this room the first time she saw it. There are also a bunch of large black-and-white pictures of models wearing CoB designs on the other walls. There is a lot of natural lighting, a couple of large windows on one side and a big sunroof I had cut into the roof of the building. The room is high, about twenty feet, with the roof structure exposed. I collapse in the sofa, curled in a little ball and cry myself to sleep.

I woke up with a start, with someone knocking on the door. "Who is it?"

"Millie. Can I come in?"

"Sure, sweetie, come in, sit down. I'll be right back." As she comes in I run into the adjoing bathroom. I look at myself, puffy eyes, hair a total mess. I splash some water in my face and brush my hair a bit, coming out a little more composed. "Hi, Millie, what brings you here?"

"I brought you a skim caramel latte, no foam, and a couple of chocolate chip muffins."

I give her a hard look. "He called you. Asked you to check on me." He is taking care of me, even after what I did. I need to fix this. The good thing is, Now I know what I have to do.

"He called me, a couple of hours ago. He just told me you left, in a great deal of distress. His words. Since you didn't come home, I assumed you had come here. I brought you distress food. It was either this or a tub of chunky monkey, and I thought..."

"Never mind Millie, this is fine." I grab the latte. It tastes wonderful.

"What happened, sweetie? You were so happy yesterday. He sounded so broken on the phone. What did he do?"

I start crying again. Millie reaches up and hugs me. "He didn't do anything. He is amazing. I am the problem. I don't deserve him. I rest my head of her shoulder."

She holds me and caresses my back. "Oh, sweetie, This is not true. I am sure you can fix this. It will be ok, you will see."

I pull myself back together, blow my nose on a piece of italian silk, and turn to Millie."

"How's the agenda for the next week?"

"For school, you have a project due on Monday and a couple of midterms Thursday and Friday. You're supposed to do two half-shifts on the store, Monday and Wednesday morning and next Saturday, the whole day. We have that midwest showing on Wednesday afternoon, a meeting with the people from Victoria's Secret Monday afternoon and you need to finish the designs for the Spring collection this week. Ah, there is a quarterly financial report meeting with our accountant on Thursday morning that I really want you to attend. We need your input in planning expansion for next year."

"What about the following week?"

"School is out, and you should put in your twenty hours at the store, but, as of this moment, no big issues with CoB, except for the big Christmas party Wednesday evening. I'll have the big room downstairs decorated, and I've found a nice caterer for the party. I've even hired a fat, jolly Santa for the evening."

I can't avoid a smile at the thought of Santa coming to CoB. "Very well, call the store, and see if you can squeeze my hours from Monday to Wednesday, at their convenience. Also, please give them notice. I'm not coming back after Christmas. Book me a flight, on the morning of the twenty third to Tree Hill, coming back on evening of the twenty-sixth, with a car, a silver Mercedes two seater, if you can swing it and three nights at a nice hotel. If you can't find tickets, just hire an air taxi."

"Very well." She grabs a notebook and a pen from her purse and starts scribbling. "Anything else?"

What the hell... a girl can always hope. "Buy, borrow or steal a couple of tickets for the fire and ice New Year's ball. I don't care whose arm will need twisting."

Millie smiles. "This is going to be hard. I might have to enlist Victoria's help."

"If it gets to that, leave it to me."

"Ah, I almost forgot. Get me an OB-Gyn appointment for next week."

"OK, I'll get back to you in a couple of days on the invite."

"I need to go shopping. Dinner tonight? Pizza, ice cream and Sex and the City reruns? Is Rachel still around?"

"There was a scrunchie at the bedroom door this morning. Yes for dinner, the food and the reruns. I am going for lunch at my parents now, but I'll be back for dinner. Be strong, sweetie."

"Thank you, Millie. For everything. I love you."

"I love you too. Don't let him get away. He is a good one."

"I know."

After Millie leaves, I sit to drink my latte and eat one of the muffins. After figuring out my plan of action, I begin to feel a bit more like myself. The aching hole in my heart is still there, as well as the banked fire between my legs, but I can keep my composure for now. I pick up my phone and call Peyton. She answers after a couple of rings.

"Hi, BDavis! Very nice to hear from you. How are things in the big city?"

"Hi PSawyer. You have a few minutes?"

"Sure. Jake is out, playing basketball with some friends. I was just hearing some music and sketching."

I smile. What else is new. "You guys spending Christmas in Tree Hill?"

"Yes, we are driving there next weekend, and we will be staying at Daddy's. We'll have dinner at Jake's parents on Friday, and Daddy is flying in Thursday night and staying the weekend. Why? You want to come? Want to stay with us? There's plenty of space."

"I'll be arriving Thursday lunchtime, and I'll stay until Sunday. My plans are a little fluid at the moment, but I certainly want to spend time with you guys and Larry. I'll let you know. Also, thanks for offering, but I think I'll stay at a hotel."

She can hear the catch in my voice. "What's up, sweetie? Something happened?"

I feel a tear rolling down my cheek. Maybe not so composed, after all. "Yup. Something happened all right. That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"What? It can't be boy trouble."

"Well, it can. Do you remember Lucas Scott?"

"Number three of the Ravens. Tall, blonde, broody, hot as hell and from the wrong side of the sheets. You had a huge crush on him freshman year. I always though he was kinda sweet on you too."

I laugh. "That's right. That's the one. He came into the store yesterday afternoon. To buy a naughty gift for his girl, of all things."

"Wow. How does he look now? He is, what, twenty-four?"

"He looks good, Goldilocks. Way better than in high school."

"To make a long story short, we hit it off last night. Dinner, best sex of my life, dancing, more incredible sex, cuddling, sleeping together, talking, laughing... Peyt, I've fallen for him. Hard. And I think he's got it just as bad as I do. He told me he loved me, and I said it back! God, I hardly know him. Right now, he is officially my boyfriend."

"It sound a bit too fast, but it had to happen someday. So what, little slut? It sounds all good so far."

"Did you know he is Karen's son?"

"Really? No, I didn't know. So, Karen is the abandoned girl in the Scott family drama. Boy, I should have known, though. I am certain Jake knows. He worked at the Cafe for a while, during junior year. What a closed mouthed son-of-a-gun, that fiancee of mine." She pauses for a bit. "Ah, I begin to see the problem."

"Yeah. He is Lilly's Ukie."

"Of course. It was staring us right in the face, wasn't it? What do you know, small southern towns and family secrets. There's a book or two written about that. Brooke, sweety, keep cool. Do you have any idea how happy Karen will be if you two are together?"

"You mean, to see me breaking her Ukie's heart in a million pieces? Not so sure. I don't think I am the girl for him, Goldilocks. He is a great guy. Kind, generous, smart, good looking, great in bed. Oh, so great in bed... you have no idea. And I'm damaged goods. I can't hold a serious relationship. I never have. Can you imagine me as a mother? Victoria 2.0? I was being selfish, leading Lucas on, hoping that somehow everything would come out Ok. But I can't do that with Karen's son."

"Oh sweetie, I know you feel that way. But you're so wrong. You're brave, kind, smart, beautiful and you have the biggest heart I know. You're going to be a great mother. I remember how good you were with Lilly, and how crazy that little girl was for you." Peyton giggles. "And I am pretty sure you're good in bed too, at least judging by the silly face of them boys, after they'd been with you. What happened, exactly? What did you do?"

"I found out he was Karen's son while we were eating breakfast. French toast, almost as good as his mom's. I panicked. I said a bunch of nonsense, told him I needed time, promised that I would come back and explain, and ran away."

"He hasn't called?"

"Last night, at one point, I started to have cold feet. He told me he would hold me with his hands open. That if I stayed, it was fine, and if I left, he would wait for me. It was perfect, exactly what I needed to hear. He was worried after I left, so he sent Millie to check on me. I don't expect him to come after me. I'm going to have to make my way back to him, if I can handle it."

"Damn, he is good. Wanna trade? A slightly used, hot and sweet boy for your stud? I'll even throw in a couple of paintings. I have no problem breaking the heart of Lilly's Ukie."

"Sorry, bitch, but I'm pretty sure that boy is going nowhere. I got him fully wrapped around my fingers, at least for now. The new thing is that I am totally wrapped around his strong, beautiful, sexy fingers know, Rachel was flirting with him a bit last night, and he didn't even blink. And you know how good that slut is. In fact, he did flirt bit with Millie. She is rather taken by him, maybe even developed a little crush."

"Hm. He favors Millie over Rachel, and is head over heels into you. Sound taste in girls."

I laugh. "He said he didn't get what Jake saw in you back then."

"Hell, I don't know what Jake saw in me back then. Sure, I was kind of cute, but I had the temper of a polecat. Only saint Jake and you could put up with me. I've mellowed a lot, though. I think some of Jake's sweetness rubbed off on me."

"You were always pretty sweet, PSawyer. You just hid it well. I saw it, Jake saw it and your dad saw it. Everybody else got the sarcastic bitch act. I hope I can work things out with Luke, because I suspect you two would get along just fine now. He looks a bit like you, has some of your artsy style, and the same miserable taste in music. I actually thought that I had found myself a boy Peyton."

"So, what's the plan in Tree Hill?"

I giggle. "It's an elaborate, devious plan. I'll go talk to Karen and lay it all out. I'm hoping she will try to convince me to go back to him. That's the bottom line for me. I'm going nowhere with him without Karen's full blessing and support. I owe her that much. If she does, and I feel brave enough, I'll go to him. And hope he will still want me."

"Sounds good to me. Do you have a picture?"

"No. Wish I did. Yesterday was the best night of my life. By far. And it never crossed my mind to take a picture. I guess I was too busy being happy."

After we hang up, I thought occurs to me, so I drop Millie a text. "Did u take any pics of Lucas last nite? " A minute later I get a reply, just a picture. Lucas in a chair at the club, me on his lap, apparently saying something in his ear. He's got this beautiful goofy grin on. Millie, girl, your Christmas present this year is coming from Tiffany. I text back. "U're brilliant. Thnx." I forward the picture to Peyton. A minute later I get another text. "There is the silly face. Haven't lost your touch, slut. Good job. PS. U're rite. He does look better now. Yum."

My second call is not as much fun. The witch answers after a couple of rings. "Hi, Victoria. Brooke here."

"What a surprise. My own estranged daughter. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Several things. How are you, any news about Dad? What are your plans for Christmas?"

"Well, I am fine, and so is your father. I was just talking to him yesterday, and we decided to spend the hollidays in Majorca. One of his golf buddies has a villa there, and offered it to us. I'm leaving next Wednesday, coming back after the New Year. You know I hate New York this time of the year. So tacky."

I know I need to soften her up a bit. "There's two more things. First, you've been hinting that you want to get involved with the business side of Clothes over Bros. Well, we are preparing a major expansion for next year, and we will have a meeting this Thursday morning to begin planning it. Would you mind coming and giving us your two cents?"

"Sure dear, I am sure you could benefit a lot from my experience. What time on Thursday?"

"Say, nine sharp?"

"Done. What else?"

"I'm trying to score a couple of invites to the fire and ice ball. Can you help?"

"Now, that is a little harder. First, an invitation always includes a plus one, so, I assume, you only need one."

"That's right."

"I can probably get it, but I am going to have to call in a couple of favors. I want two things in return."

I knew it. "What, mother?"

"First, I want a formal position at Clothes over Bros. I think, with the right guidance, you can go places with your little fashion line."

My mother has a feel for the industry few people have. She can actually be an asset, if I can bring myself to put up with her. The problem is that, right now, the company is a very pleasant place to work. Millie and I have managed to create a happy and productive environment that few places have. Adding my dear mother to the mix may screw that up for good. Also, I've always wanted to try to be a little closer to her. Maybe this is the time. I make a snap decision. "Will CFO do? I stay CEO, and Millie is my executive vice-president, so you would be number three, working directly for me. You can also hire an assistant. I'll prepare a formal offer and send it over to you."

"That will do, for now. The second thing is information. Who is the boy?"

I try to play dumb. "Which boy?"

"The boy you want to take to the fire and ice ball. I wasn't born yesterday, Brooklyn. You really want to make an impression, no?"

I sigh. Playing dumb never really works with her. I don't know why I bother. "He is an old crush from high school. His name is Lucas Scott."

"Oh, I know who he is. The wrong Scott boy. Your father and I used to be good friends with Dan and Deb, and their son Nathan even played with you when you were little. Not a social asset these days, specially the bastard boy."

I can't avoid crying. The bastard boy. God, I loathe this woman. My only consolation is that Luke has a similar curse in his family tree. I try to keep my voice steady. "He is an editor for a publisher here in the city, a writer and a basketball coach. He is also handsome and charming. I guarantee he will not embarass the Davis family name."

"Very well, Brooklyn, The heart wants what it want, I suppose. I should get back to you soon on this."

"Bye, mother. See you on Thursday."

"Goodbye, Brooklyn. And call me Victoria."

I drop another text to Millie, to forget about the ball invites and one to Rachel, to meet me at Macy's on West thirty-fourth, if she feels like it.

It is time for some retail therapy. First things first, we find something to wear. I go for a short black skirt, red leggings, white wedges, a white tank top and a warm big red sweater with the CoB logo from the rack. A touch of make-up, a bit of perfume, a black amex, and I am ready to go. I call for a limo service and hire a car for the whole day. The driver will follow me around, help me with the bags, and give me a place to keep the loot as I move about.

The store is packed, this close to Christmas. I'd been in there for a while when I get a text from Rachel. "Whr r u, slut?". "Menswear." A couple of minutes later, Rachel shows up. "Hi, Gattina. How was your evening?"

"I caught a good one last night. Hockey player. A bit too much ego, rough around the edges. I'm following your advice and letting him take me out again today. We will see if he improves. What about yout boy toy? Last night you were headed straight to the altar with that one."

"He is officially my boyfriend right now. We ran into some trouble, though, so we're not talking. It's a long story, which I'll tell you over lunch."

"I love drama, little whore. You've been so boring lately. Busy, busy, little Brookie working bee.

I'm glad blue eyes showed up to shake your tree."

I laugh a bit. "Blue eyes didn't just shake my tree. He uprooted it and took it home. I'm madly crushed on the boy, Rach. He told me he loved me last night, during sex, and I said that I loved him right back. We did it three times last night. I said the first time was a hard ten. We blew right past that. The last one was the very best of my life. But it's not just the mind-blowing sex. I like him. I get him, and he gets me in a way no other boy ever did."

"It was bound to happen someday, Brookie. Do you think it's gonna stick?"

"I hope so, but I am terrified that it wont. What do I know? It's all uncharted territory for me."

"So, it's all good. If he feels the same way, run to the altar, get a ring and go make a bunch of little basketball players and cheerleaders with fashion sense. I promise to corrupt them without mercy."

"All right, let's go to lunch. Gianello?"

"That's fine. Chicken ceasar and a glass of red. Gotta keep the girly figure."

"Spaguetti Bolognesi and the red for me. A tough run in the morning for the figure."

Rachel gives me a disgusted look. "I don't know where you get all this energy, whore."

I laugh. "Pure thoughts and clean living, slut."

"Up yours."

We sit at the restaurant and place our orders. The waiter is this gorgeous hispanic boy, and Rachel flirts with him mercilessly. "You're going to make him drool in our food."

"That's the plan, cutie. I'll double his tip if he does. So, I got it that last night was heaven. What happened this morning? The wife showed up?"

I can't avoid laughing. "We woke up, made out a bit and went for a run. I showered, and he went to fix breakfast. Bacon and french toast, OJ and a latte. The french toast was excellent."

"So, your prince can cook. Shit, whore. Is he gay?"

"He told me his best friend is a girl. Haley James Scott."

"The singer. She is cute."

"So I asked if he ever considered being gay. He told me he liked pussy too much, but I already knew that."

"I like this guy."

"I think he likes you too. So, when I tasted his french toast, I told him I only knew one place where I could get a better one. Karen's Cafe. He laughed and said his mother taught him to make it, but that he knew she made it better. He is Karen's son."

"Now, I suppose that came as a surprise."

"I felt stupid. I had all the pieces, just didn't put it together. Then I completely freaked out and ran away."

"Now, that I don't get. Why?"

"I was already a little freaked with how fast, and how deep I was falling for him. And that when he was just a boy I had a crush in high school. All of a sudden, he is the son of this woman that is very precious to me. It was too much. You know I am broken. All of a sudden, I didn't think I was good enough for him. That's why I ran."

I knew that would make Rachel mad. She is incredibly loyal. She screams at me. "What do you mean you're not good enough for him? You're Brooke Penelope fucking Davis!

You're good enough for the Queen of England, for crying out loud." And with a puff. "Silly whore."

I let her fume a bit, and I add quietly. "I love you, slut."

She calms down and looks at me seriously. "I love you too. You know my opinion. If you want something, reach out and grab it. Sometimes you get what you want. Sometimes you lose your hand. The rest, including this Karen stuff and the not good enough bullshit, is just noise. What are you going to do?"

"I can't play it like you would. I'm going to Tree Hill, talk to Karen. Maybe she can convince me I'm good enough. Maybe she doesn't think so. Anyways, I need her support, if I am ever going to go for this."

"If that's the way you want it. Just don't come crying to me if this stupid boy breaks your silly little whorish heart."

I smile at her. "You know that's exactly what I would do. Where else would I go?"

"I know. I'm leaving in a few hours. Hong Kong first, for a shoot, and someplace warm, to be ignored by my parents over the holidays. I just hope, this time, the cabin boys are not all gay."

We laugh. "I'm sure it will be fine. Don't forget to bring a plastic friend just in case."

"I know. Never leave home without it."

"I'll leave a little Christmas gift for you on your bed, in case I am not around when you come back. Have a good time, slut. I'll miss you."

"You too. I hope you find your way back to your boy. Please, keep me posted. And don't forget to have fun. You've turned so serious in your old age..."

I get up and give her a hug. "Bye, slut. Don't worry, I got the check."

"Bye. And tell the sexy waiter that I'll be seeing him."

I spend the rest of the afternoon with my Christmas shopping. What I am going to give to my boyfriend? I know what I want to give him, but placing wrapped up naked me under the tree is not practical. I decide on two gifts. One I'll have delivered to his mother's home Christmas day. The other I'll give him personally, if we get back together.

When I get back to the apartment, Millie is not there yet, so I put away the gifts, call for pizza and change, into underwear, with the Keith's Auto Shop hoodie on top. It's the best I can do, if I can't have him. Sure, it will give the pizza delivery guy an eyefull, but my sluttish friend did tell me to have fun. Pizza and Millie arrive more-or-less at the same time. She changes into pj's and we sit in front of the TV, with wine, pizza, and Sex and the City. She uses these cute girlie long sleeve flannel pj's with teddy bears and baloons. She looks very cuddly, so, we cuddle. I only cry a little, before falling asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Lucas

I open my eyes and check the clock. A quarter past nine. A whole day without her. I need to pull myself together, to call Hales and Mom. Yesterday was a blur. I tried to focus on my boys during practice yesterday, but my heart wasn't in it. The boys knew. We have a game next Saturday, the last of the regular season. We are already all set for the playoffs, so I scheduled just one extra practice this week. After the game, we have a break and resume practice after New Year. I think we have a good shot at the city title, but I need to pull my head out of my ass. At least two of my boys, maybe even three, have a good shot at a college scholarship, if we do well for the rest of the season.

I'm starving. Last time I ate was yesterday at lunch. After lunch I started writing. First I tried working in my book, but I couldn't get her out of my head. So I surrendered. Since all I could think was her, I wrote about her. It went all in one sitting, sixteen hours with just water and bathroom breaks. There is a five thousand word piece in my computer, called "That Night" which is the best damn piece of writing I've ever done. I didn't use names, it was all my point of view, and she was simply "her". There is a flashback to a basketball game in high school, where I describe her while cheering. I was pretty taken by her back then already, I just never realized it until now. It's hard to share a piece of art this personal, but.. I have an acquaintance on the editorial staff of the New Yorker. What the hell. I go to my computer and I send her an e-mail, attaching the story. Odds are, I'll never hear about it again.

I go to the kitchen, fix myself a latte, an OJ and a bagel with cream cheese. Still munching, I dial Hales.

"Luke! I was so worried about you. When I didn't hear from you, I almost caught a plane to New York. Did you hear from her? Did she come back? Who is this damn girl? I called you a dozen times yesterday, but just got voicemail."

"Good morning, sis. It's nice to hear your voice. No, she didn't come back, I didn't hear from her, and I am still alive, despite the Brooke-shaped hole in my heart."

"Brooke... I know her. I've met her at the cafe a couple of times. She and Karen are very close. Gorgeous, bouncy brunette. She did remind me of Taylor..."

I laugh. Taylor is Haley's sister. Four years older, fun and incredibly sexy. She waltzed into my life junior year, and turned it upside down. For two months, fifty five days, to be exact, she was my whole life. Then suddenly she left. I knew I couldn't hold onto her, but I really tried, and ended up with my first real heartbreak. Haley hasn't spoken with her since. She thinks Taylor was just playing with me. I know that's not entirely true, but I never managed to convince Hales. Taylor didn't just leave bored, she also ran away scared. Until yesterday, I've been kind of holding my breath a bit, hoping and fearing that, someday, she would come back. I guess I am finally completely over her, thanks to Brooke. "Yeah, I had no idea Brooke knew mom until she freaked, and bounced out of my life."

"But why didn't you call?"

"My muse grabbed me by the throat yesterday, and only let me go around five in the morning today. Before we continue to talk, let me send you the result of the muse attack. Read it, and call me back, ok?"

"Ok, bye."

I putz around the apartment, arranging this and that. I am in pins-and-needles, waiting for the phone. About an hour later, it rings.

"Oh my god, Luke!"

"Yeah. Did you like it?"

"I don't know where to start. OK, first, it's incredible. Best short story I've ever read. I was laughing and crying, and falling in love with her, all at the same time. And I'm not really into girls. You didn't just hit it out of the park, you sent it all the way into orbit."

"Thanks. I knew it was my best piece of writing to date, but it's nice to have it confirmed."

Haley can talk really fast when she gets excited. "Can I show it to Nathan? Can I use it in class? Did you send it to her? With this love letter she will come back running..."

"Slow down, sis. First, I love you. Second, you can show it to anyone, except her. I copyrighted it last night, and sent it to the New Yorker this morning, so I guess I am hoping everybody will read it, eventually. You know I promised her I wouldn't pursue her, so, sending this to her would not be right."

"Setting the story aside, what about you? If half of what you set down is what happened..."

"There is no fiction, Hales. The story is my point of view of that night, rendered to the best of my ability. Actually, if I am not a drunk and hungover puddle in the ground right now, it's thanks to working it out in writing. She is coming back, Hales. Now you know what happened. She couldn't possibly leave for good. Besides, she promised she would come back. "

"She did?"

"Well, Saturday morning we woke up together, still under the spell of the previous night. We made out a bit, went for a run, and she showered, while I made breakfast. French toast. She liked it, but said she had eaten better at the Cafe in Tree Hill. That's when it came out who my mom was. She got really worked up about it, said she needed time, cried, apologized, said she would be back and explain, gave me a kiss and ran away. At that's all she wrote."

"So, she wasn't mad at you. You didn't break up."

"That's right. As far as I am concerned, she is still my girlfriend, until she tells me otherwise. I just miss her like crazy. I am madly in love with her, sis. It was never like this with Taylor, or with Maddie."

"I guess I know that. You never wrote something like this about either one."

"Well..."

"You did?"

"Both. I'm a writer, Hales. That's how I digest things. You've never seen them because I never thought they were very good. The one about Maddie is pretty bitter, I don't think it should ever see the light of day. The one about Taylor is kinda sweet, just very raw and adolescent. And X-rated. I told you what happened with Taylor wasn't that simple, or one-sided. If you can stomach a steamy, half-baked story starring your sister and your best friend, I'll send it to you. It might even convince you to give her another chance."

"Hm. I'm really not sure. Let me take that under advisement, blondie. I still can't believe Taylor was both You and Nate's first. Thank god Jamie is her nephew. I know this thing between me and Taylor hurts mom a lot."

"It hurts you too, sweetie, even if you don't want to admit it."

"Maybe it's time I take your word for it and reach out to her. I know now you're really over her. And that would excuse me from reading about you and Taylor getting freaky, which I would like to avoid in this lifetime. And it's Christmas, after all."

I laugh. "I hear you, sis. And I'm glad."

"I have a question. Clearly, from the story, you were really into this girl senior year. How come I didn't know about it?"

"That's easy. Mostly, I was embarrassed. She looked like a twelve-year-old, except when she was cheering. In truth, I regret not following my heart. She is incredible, and probably already was then. Besides, you had a lot of distractions that year."

"True, I guess."

"How are Nate and Jamie?"

"Nate is home. You know he's had a great season. He is up for renewal, and they are talking a three-year contract, five mil a year plus endorsements. Jamie is still enjoying big boy school and he is doing fine. He misses you a lot."

"You know, this Saturday is the last game of the regular season for my boys. Why don't you guys come down, spend a few days sightseeing and hanging out? It would be such a thrill for my boys to meet Nate and for him to watch their game. I think they are better than our senior year Ravens, there is one boy in particular that's clearly NBA material. I would rent a nice car and we would drive back to Tree Hill on Saturday. And I could really use some family time right about now."

"I'd really like that. I love New York this time of year and Jamie would be in heaven. I am still teaching until Wednesday, but I might be able to shuffle things around and leave Tuesday night. Let me talk to Nathan, and I'll get back to you."

"All right, sis. Bye."

"Bye, Luke."

They've been married for seven years, and it's still a thrill to call her sis.I hope againt hope that before this year is over, I'll be able to take a picture of my four girls happy together. There is a car rental agency in town that specializes in vintage. I call and reserve a white 75 DeVille coupe that I've been dreaming about driving for a while now. Even if they don't come, I'm going home in style this year.

My next call is a bit more complicated. "Hi, mom."

"Lucas! It's so good to hear your voice. Lilly! Come here. Come say hi to your brother." 

I hear the high pitch voice, a little breathless. God, I miss her. "Hi, Ukie! I lost my barbie's head. I can't talk right now. I miss you, bye!" My mom comes back on the phone, in time to hear me laughing. "Well, that was fast. Is everything OK?"

She only goes to the Cafe for lunch on Sundays, so I knew I would catch her at home now. "Do you have some time? I think we have a long conversation coming."

I can hear her frowning at the end of the line. "Did something happened, darling? I have about an hour before I have to be at the Cafe."

"That should do it. I met a girl Friday night. We got pretty serious, pretty quick. And, as it turns out, you know her quite well."

"Let me guess. You met Brooke. What happened to Lindsay?"

"She doesn't know it yet, but she is history. Yes, Brooke."

"I've been dreaming of seeing you two together for years. Are you together?"

"Yes and no. Something happened, that I was hoping you would help me understand. First, let me ask. What's the story with you and Brooke? And how come I didn't hear about her?"

"You might have heard Lilly talking about her friend Book."

"Holy crap! Sorry, mom. So Book is Brooke! I thought Book was a little girl. Lilly really likes her."

"She does." Mom laughs softly. "Half of Lilly's dresses are exclusive Brooke Davis designs. It's not a surprise you thought Book was a little girl. They play together, they gossip and chat. Brooke even looks like her a bit. Brooke calls every week, and they still keep up their gossip. Well, the story. You know Peyton was working at Tric for a couple of years, no? Jake introduced her to me, it was probably your sophomore year at college. She suggested a free age night at Tric, and started doing the programming, getting bands, doing the DJ thing. After a few months, she was managing Tric for me. Deb was out of the picture, and I was really thankful for the help, since Lilly was still so small. At that time, Peyton was always with Brooke, and they became regulars at the Cafe. They would come, and we would talk. If there was little movement I would sit with them and chat away. I guess I was lonely, with just a two-year-old for company. I was rather taken by Brooke from the start. She got along well with Lilly, so she started babysitting for me regularly. She also worked at the Cafe for a while. When it was closing time, she would come to the Cafe, like you and Haley did, and we would have dinner, me, Brooke and Lilly. I would go to the basketball games, just to see Brooke leading the squad. She was so good. Why didn't you know about her? The truth, she filled a hole in my heart that you and Haley left. I didn't want to say anything, because I didn't want to let you know how much it hurt not having you guys around. Now Lilly is older, much better company, and I'm dating a professor from the community college, so things are looking up. But those two years, Brooke saved my life. I don't want to talk about her. There is too much that I know in confidence, and she is a very private person. But I'll say this. She is like a daughter to me and a sister to Lilly. I care about her just as much as I care about Haley. If you hurt that girl, you will have to answer to me. Now you tell me what happened."

"To make a long story short, I met my "secret sister" on Friday, and fell totally, head-over-heels in love with her, and she with me. We were both a little freaked out how fast it happened, Brooke more than me because, if I got it right, she had never really been in love before. I just wrote an account of that night. It's rated "R", but if you don't mind knowing about the sex part, I'll send it to you. Saturday morning, during breakfast, it comes out that you are my mother. She completely flips out.

She tells me it's too much, that she needs time, that later she would come back and explain and she ran away."

"I know Brooke. I get it. She probably feels she can't go anywhere near you without my blessing now. Don't worry too much. She is going to come running through my door any minute, and I'll try to send her right back to you. The truth is that the two of you together is a dream come true for me. I'll do anything in my power to help. Send me your story. I'll try to skim over the racy bits."

I can feel something unclenching inside me. It may not be as bad as I feared. "Thanks mom. I appreciate it. All of it. It's really crazy, though."

"There is one thing I don't understand. Why didn't you go after her? That doesn't sound like you."

"There's two things. First, after Taylor, and specially after Maddie, I learned that you don't try to hold tight onto an independent, strong minded woman. I learned you need to hold with your hands open, let her feel free to come and go as she needs. So, when Brooke started getting cold feet, I promissed her that I wouldn't run after her. She could stay, if she wanted, and she could leave, if she needed, to come back when she felt she could. I told her I would be waiting. So, that's what I am doing, waiting."

"That's incredibly mature of you, son. I'm proud of you. But don't overdo it. Let her know you still care."

"I have a little idea about that. By the way, she may take some time getting to your door. I have a spy in her camp, who is keeping an eye out for me, and I know she has a crazy week ahead. I'm planning on going to Tree Hill on Saturday, by car. I'll buy a tree and do the Christmas decorations when I get there, is that ok?"

"That's fine darling. We will be waiting."

"Also, Nate, Haley and Jamie may be coming for a quick visit next week. We would go back together on Saturday. Would you mind sending Lilly along with them? I may be able to take a few days off and show her the sights. New York this time of year is pretty nice."

"That would be fine. I wish I could go too, but I can't leave the cafe right now. I wouldn't mind the time alone with my boyfriend, though. I think you will like him. His name is Andy, and he is a little younger than me. He is pretty hot."

"Mother..."

"Well, I can still have some fun at my old age. Take care of yourself, darling. And don't worry too much about your girl. Everything will turn out fine in the end. She is quite a catch, and so are you."

"Thanks, mom. I'll be seing you soon. Send a kiss to Lilly. And I'll be e-mailing you the story right now."

"Bye, darling."

"Bye."

I sent her the story. I was much happier after talking to her. I got out some of the manuscripts I wanted to read, and set to work. About a couple of hours later I got a text. "I loved the piece, even the sex bits. It's your best, truly written from the heart. You were so lucky to find each other like that. Love, Mom."

I kept working, went for a walk and a hot dog in the park, and came back to work. I was waiting to hear from Lindsay, and, around half past six, she called, sounding happy and breathless. "Hi darling, I just flew into La Guardia. Can I go to your place? I could probably be there in about an hour. I miss you terribly."

I needed to temper her expectations a bit, so I talked in a very serious tone. "Hi Lindsay. That's ok. Come to my place, I'll cook dinner. We need to talk."

She caught my tone. "Is something wrong?"

"We just need to talk. Hurry on."

"All right, Bye." 

"Bye."

She arrives near eight, with a small suitcase. I take her coat. She is wearing a grey skirt, below the knee, a white blouse, white shoes, light make up and her light brown hair is shoulder length and loose. She is a beautiful girl, charming, sweet and very smart. She comes close for a kiss, but I pull out, and I see her huge blue eyes cloud with tears.

"You're breaking up with me."

The truth is, I have to be a little rough. She will be much better off angry, rather than sad, and I am the right target. "Yes. But I owe you an explanation. I made dinner. Steak, baked potato and a salad. Would you share it with me?"

"Yes. I'm starving, anyways. If I can't get what I want from you, at least I'll get some food."

We make plates and sit to eat. I serve red wine. She is quietly crying, and it breaks my heart. "I ran into someone this weekend. Someone I knew back from high school."

"You slept with her?"

"Yes I did. But that's not the point. I realized that I was not being fair with you. I like you, and I was hoping I would fall in love with you eventually. After I met this woman, I realized it would never happen."

"I missed you so much this weekend. I was falling in love with you. I think I knew you didn't feel the same way."

"I'm very sorry Lindsay. I know I am hurting you."

She is hugging herself, looking very sad. There is also a small spark of anger in her eyes, which makes me think she will be fine, after all. She gathers herself and stands up. "I am not ok with this. Maybe someday I will be, but right now, I don't want to look at you. I don't want to be near you. I'll be working from home the next few days. I know you will be going home the following week, so I'll see you next year. I hope I'll be better then. Are you with this woman now?"

"Yes."

She just picks up her coat, the suitcase and leaves.

Monday comes and goes, with the usual hustle. That evening I get a text from Haley, saying that they will be coming, with Lilly, arriving Tuesday night, around ten, in La Guardia. I tell her I'll send a limo for them. I place a cot in my room, so Nate, Hales and Jamie will sleep there, and me and Lilly will share the sofabed in the office. I arrange to have half a dozen red roses to be delivered to CoB in the morning, with the message "Miss you, girlfriend." Around nine, I get a text from her. "Thnx.", which leaves me staring at the wall, lost, for about half an hour. At ten I get a phone call that changes everything.

"Lucas, Sam here." Samantha is my acquaintance at the New Yorker.

"Hi, what's up? Did you like my piece?"

She laughs, "Did I like it? Let me put it this way. I circulated it around here yesterday. Everybody in the building is talking about it. The consensus is that it is one of the finest short stories the magazine has ever seen. My boss' boss wants to see you asap. Can you meet with him and the staff at two?" Her boss's boss is the chief editor of the New Yorker.

"I think so. Let me talk to my boss. If there is any trouble, I'll drop you a text. Otherwise, I'll be there."

"Ok, see you then."

Holy shit. Everybody has written short stories for the New Yorker. They are putting me together with all my heroes. I call Sean's secretary. "Does the boss have a minute?"

I wait about ten seconds for an answer. "He says to come over." Sean is not just my boss. He is also Lindsay's father.

I get to his office and he is standing in front of his desk, looking stern. "You broke up with her."

"I'm afraid I didn't feel about her the same way she felt about me. I'm sorry. As soon as I realized this, I ended it, but I know I hurt her. This is completely my fault. She is a wonderful girl that deserves a lot better than she got. That's not the reason I asked to speak with you."

"He lifts his eyebrows. Really?" I have enormous respect for Sean.

"I wrote a short story that I sent to the New Yorker. I just got a come hither from their chief editor. They want me there at two. Do you mind?"

He actually manages to look stern and amused. "When did you send them this story?"

"Sunday."

His eyebrows go even higher. "I see. Does this story have anything to do with you breaking up with Lindsay?"

"Yes."

"You may go. In fact, take the rest of the morning off. On two conditions. Come back and tell me what they offered you. And send me a copy of the story."

"That's fine. Goodbye, sir."

As I am closing his office door he calls.

"And by the way, Lucas. Well done. Very well done, indeed."

I go to my office, send a copy of the piece to Sean, grab my coat and leave. I just wish I could go celebrate it with her.

I drop a text to Hales instead "call me when you can" and around noon she calls me.

"Hi Luke, what's up?"

"You will not believe it."

"What?"

"I got a call from the people at the New Yorker. I have a meeting with their chief editor at two. They are going to publish the story. But it's not just that. They want something more from me."

"Wow! This is amazing. It's like you are going to the writer's NBA."

"It's even better. It's rookie of the year. I'll be an instant famous author. I'll be able to write my own ticket for the novel I'm currently writing, and for the subsequent ones."

"I'm so happy we will get to celebrate with you tonight."

"I'll buy a bottle of Crystal. Did Nate get his contract?"

"Not yet. We should be able to celebrate that next week."

"I'm only sorry I don't get to celebrate it with her."

"You know, I had a long talk with you mother yesterday. I think everything will end up fine. Your mother thinks you're both very lucky."

"I miss her so much it hurts."

"I know the feeling. Oh, by the way, I called Taylor. She is coming for Christmas."

"I'm glad. And I actually look forward to seing her again. See you tonight, Hales. Have a nice trip."

"See you Luke. Congratulations again." 

"Thanks."

I get back to Sean's office around four. I talk to his secretary, and she sends me right in. Sean gets up, serves himself of a scotch on the rocks and looks at me. I just nod, and he makes me one as well. He sits, and tells me to sit as well.

"I read your piece. I get what the hoopla is about. I knew you were a good writer, but I didn't think you had that much in you. It's the girl, isn't it? She broke up with you the next day? You couldn't possibly write that piece without a huge dose of heartbreak."

As I said, Sean is really impressive. "Yes, she left me the following morning. We didn't break up, but we haven't spoken since. There are complications."

"She is married?"

"Nothing like that. We will probably work it out in the end. I need advice."

"What did they offer you?"

"They bought the story outright. A hundred, a record number for an unpublished author. They offered me a three-year contract. One more five thousand word story next year, plus two per year the following years. One mil. I asked them a day to think."

He smiles. "And what's the hold out?"

"I don't think I have five more short stories like that in me."

"You have a novel nearly done, dont you?"

"I am just about done. A serious revision, mostly."

"What is it about?"

"I have a very difficult family history. My father murdered his brother and he is in jail for it. I have a brother that was raised hating me, and that, now, is a very close friend. We were co-captains of our high school basketball team and we won the North Carolina state title in our senior year. This whole mess is the material for the novel. I've been writing it since high school."

"Is it good?"

"As good as anything we publish, sir." 

"Call me Sean." He calls his secretary. "Ask David and Lindsay to come in." My heart skips a beat.

"Did she read the piece?"

"Yes. Don't worry. She knows what we are about here."

"Very well. First, you asked for advice. You should take the contract. No one in his right mind will expect you to repeat what you achieved with "That Night". They know you are going to become a brand name. They just want to lock you in while you are still relatively cheap. It works in your favor too, because in three years, things will look rather different for you. David?" David places two folders on Sean's desk.

"This first folder is your notice of termination, effective immediately. Your services as an editor are no longer required. You will find a generous severance check, including your performance bonus for this year. You have been one of the finest editors that have passed through this company, thank you. The second folder is a contract. We are offering you three million dollars, half of it in advance for sales, for three novels in the next five years. I have asked Lindsay to act as your agent in drawing this contract, which she did exceedingly well. You might want to hire her as your agent. This is just for publication of the novels in the US. You reserve all other rights, but I think you need to discuss the details with Lindsay. I would also like to appoint her as your editor, at least for the first novel. I discussed this with her, and she feels she can do this job professionally, without interference from your personal history. The reason is simple. She is the finest editor we currently have in the company, and I am sure she will do your novel justice. Please sign the termination and the receipt for the severance, and use the meeting room to continue the discussion further with Lindsay." Sean lifts his head and smiles. "You see, we would also like to lock your brand in while you are still cheap." With that, we children are dismissed.

We close the door in the meeting room, and we are alone.

"So, you read it."

"It hurt, Luke. But I get it. I am so envious of her that I could die. You didn't simply have a romantic night any girl would kill for. You then turned around and wrote an incredible piece of art in her honor, the most beautiful love letter I've ever read. I'm dying to meet this girl."

"We are not really talking right this minute."

"What? How is that possible?"

"Your father got it instantly. I could never have written that piece if something had not gone wrong. I needed the heartbreak to do it."

"You need to tell her, Luke. You need to warn her."

"Why?"

"This is going to hit the papers big tomorrow. It's very easy to discover who she is, after reading the story. Day after tomorrow, there's gonna be paparazzi after her."

"Shit. You're right. "

"It's worse. You need to explain to her my new role in your life. She was expecting you to break up with me on Sunday, which you did, honorable dog that you are. Now I am recast as your work wife, and she needs to be ok with this. There will be pictures of the two of us around, looking chummy,"

Give me a minute. I send her a text. "Pretty girl, something came up. I really hate to do this, I wanted to respect your space, but I need to talk to you. Could you please call me?"

My phone rings two minutes later. My heart jumps when I hear her voice. "Hi, boyfriend. What's up?"

"I'll leave the hallmark stuff to some other time, pretty girl, and go straight to business. After you left on Saturday, I spend sixteen hours writing straight. I wrote a short story about Friday night. It is the best piece of writing I ever did. I sent it to the New Yorker, and they took it. It's going to appear in January. They offered me a million dollar contract for more short stories. Then the publisher I work for offered me a three million dollar contract for three books. I broke up with Lindsay on Sunday, she was pretty pissed, but she read the story today, and she is sort of ok. She is acting as my agent and editor right now, but I need you to agree with that. She is really an excellent professional. This stuff is going to end on the news tomorrow. It's easy to identify you from the story, and you might get paparazzi."

I hear her giggle. It nearly kills me with longing."I see. Send me the story. I'll get back to you."

I send her the story. And hour later I get a message back. "We will meet in Tree Hill next week. I loved the story. I love you. I am yours, forever." I show her message to Lindsay. "We will be ok."

We continue to work on the details of the contract, until around six.

"We are not nearly done. You can come back tomorrow afternoon, and we will continue to hammer at this. Tomorrow morning I'll go to the New Yorker on your behalf, to negotiate the fine points of that contract. I also need you to come by early, to sign an agent contract with me. I'll also start working on some media appearances this week, maybe a collective interview."

"I'll come back tomorrow. Nine ok?"

"That's fine. I'll see you tomorrow."

On the way home, Lucas did a supermarket run, a beer run and bought a bottle of Crystal. He sent Brooke another text. "Sorry, girlfriend. Lilly will be in town for the next few days. Do you want to see her, maybe do something with her?" Five minutes later he gets a reply. "I'm incredibly busy. I'll be in front of your building tomorrow at half past seven. I'll take Lilly to the park. I'd like you to join us. Let's try not to confuse Lilly. Tomorrow morning, we're just friends."

The Scotts arrived at ten, with both six-year-olds asleep. We tuck them both and sit down in the living room to chat a bit.

"Well guys, thank you very much for coming. I distribute glasses and pop the bubbly."

"To sucess, in love and otherwise."

"Hear, hear."

"Congratulations, big brother. You really scored big this time."

"I have to tell you what happened after I talked to Hales. I went to the New Yorker, and they bought the story, for one hundred. And they offered me a million dollar contract, for five more short stories in the next three years. Then the publisher I work for offered to buy the novel I am just about done writing, plus two others, in the next five years, for three million dollars. I haven't signed anything yet, except my severance as editor. So, right now, it appears that I am an unemployed full time writer, a soon-to-be millionaire and an amateur basketball coach. And, of course, boyfriend of a fashion diva since Friday. Ah, to complete the craziness, I dumped the girl I had been seeing on Sunday, and I hired her today as my agent. The best part. I sent my piece to Brooke, she texted back saying that she loved it, loved me and that she would be mine forever. Finally, she is going to come by tomorrow at half past seven to take Lilly to the park, and I'm supposed to go with them."

"Wow, Luke. That's a lot to digest." She does a little pause. "Listen, I am dead tired. I had to teach straight the whole day to compensate for not showing up tomorrow. We will talk tomorrow. Should we meet at the Museum of Natural History for lunch? Say, half past twelve?"

"That's fine. I have to swing by the office tomorrow at nine, but afterwards I am free until two. After that, I'm stuck until I'm done vetting the publishing contracts. So, here is the deal. I'll go with Brooke and Lilly to the park at the crack of dawn. Then I'll come back, pick up Jamie and take the kids into town. I'll take them to the Central Park Zoo, and I'll meet you guys for lunch at the MNH.

Then I'll leave the kids with you and go to my meeting. Depending on how it goes, we either meet somewhere for early dinner or we meet back here. There is basketball practice at eight on the street court two blocks north. I'm looking forward to Nate seeing my boys, and vice-versa.

"This is fine, Luke. Here is Lilly's suitcase. You might want to separate a cute outfit for her to meet her Book tomorrow morning. "

"I can try, but, for sure, she will then choose something else."

"True. Good night, Lucas."

"Good night, sis."

I spend another half-hour talking about my team with Nate. Since tomorrow begins early, we both decide to call it a night.

The alarm goes off at six thirty, and a very grumpy Lilly tries to get me out of her face, until I tell her. "Lilly bear, I have a surprise for you."

That actually wakes her up. "Which surprise Ukie?" You need to have breakfact, brush your teeth and dress pretty before you can see your surprise. So, what is it going to be. Toast or Eggo?"

"Toast, with butter and jam. And a glass of OJ."

"Coming right up, princess Lilly."

We get downstairs with five minutes to spare, and precisely at half past, a limo stops, and out comes my girlfriend. She is using an off-white winter coat, and boots. Lilly immediately does precisely what I wish I could do. She yells "Book!" and runs straight into Brooke's arms.

Brooke goes down in one knee and embraces Lilly. "Hi, princess. I missed you so much."

Lilly steps back, with a huge smile in her face. "Book, this is my big brother Ukie, I mean, Lucas. He is the best big brother.". "Ukie, this is Brooke. She is my best friend in the whole world.".

"Thank you for introducing us, Lilly bear. I know your Book from school, before you were born. She is my friend too."

"That's right, silly Lilly. I like your big brother. I used to be a cheerleader when your Ukie played basketball."

Lilly's eyes open wide. "Book, did you know my daddy too, before I was born?"

"Brooke kneels down again, and picks up both her hands in hers. Mom is right, there's a family vibe there. Outside myself and mom, the only grown up I've seen Lilly this confortable around is Nate. They are crazy for each other. But even aunt Haley is not quite like that. Apparently, there is someone else both me and Lilly are crazy about, aside from mom. "No, Lilly, I didn't know your daddy. I saw him with Lucas after the games, I think, but we never talked. I wish I did."

"I don't know my daddy, Book, but I miss him." I can't avoid a brief flare of my hatred for Dan.

"I know, sweetie. But he is always watching over you, your mom and your brother."

"That's right, Lilly bear. We can go visit him Christmas day, what do you think? We can bring him flowers." We always do that, mom, Lilly and I."

"Lillies and roses, right?"

"That's right."

Brooke surprises me. "Can I come too?"

"Of course. You will be with us on Christmas this year, Book?"

"Yes I will."

The little girl opens a huge smile at the news. She looks at me asks me to pick her up. She whispers in my ear. "We need a present for her, Ukie. Something special."

I whisper back "Don't worry, Lilly bear, we'll find something."

She gives me a big hug. "Thank you. This was the best surprise ever."

Brooke looks puzzled. "You, Brooke. You were the surprise." I'm rewarded with a big dimpled smile.

We head to the park, two grown ups with Lilly swinging in the middle. We get puzzled looks from my neighbors. One of the bolder ones, a hairdresser form a shop at the corner finally asks. "Where you hiding your family, coach? Your girls are beautiful."

"I agree. The little one is my sister Lilly, and the not so little one is my friend Brooke. Girls, this is Sarah."

"Lilly gives a perfect curtsie. Nice to meet you, Sarah. Why did you call my brother "coach"?"

"Cause he is the coach of our neighborhood basketball team, sweetie. He does a really good job, and everybody around here loves him for it. There is a game coming up on Saturday, will you be there to cheer for the boys?"

Lilly looks at me. "Yes, you will be there, and I expect you to cheer very loud."

"I want to be a cheerleader, like mommy and Book."

"I'd like that, Lilly bear." I give a flirty look at my girlfriend. "I like cheerleaders."

"I'll make a warm cheerleader outfit for you to wear Saturday, Lilly. What are the team collors?"

"Green and white. We are the twenty second division Panthers. I'll send you a picture of the game jersey later today. Thank you, Brooke."

A big smile again. "You're welcome Luke. What time is the game?"

"Ten"

"I'll swing by your place at nine. I want to see Nathan, Haley and Jamie too."

"We are having lunch, all of us, at the Museum of Natural History, today at half past noon. You could join us, if you want. And come for breakfast on Saturday, say, around eight."

"You're on for breakfast, as long as you make it french toast. I have a crazy day ahead, but I'll try for lunch. I'll send you a text if I can make it."

"Very well, lets go to the park. I need to get to work."

When we come out of the park, Brooke's limo is already waiting. "Come in guys, I'll drop you off at home."

In the one-minute drive, Brooke gives Lilly a big hug. "Bye, silly Lilly. It was so good to see you."

"Bye, Bookie Cookie."

"Bye, Lucas Scott, take care of yourself."

"Bye Brooke Davis, I'll be seeing you."

She smiles. "You can count on that, baby."

We pick up Jamie, and head into town. We swing by the office. We don't meet anyone, but Lindsay had left an agent contract. It seems standard, I give her ten percent of everything, and in exchange I get the benefit of her full smarts and expertise on my behalf. Knowing Linds, this is a real bargain.

We walk to the zoo, and we have a blast there. We catch a penguin feeding, and we spend a long time at the petting area. The chemistry between Jamie and Lilly is incredible. They are very different. Jamie has a physical presence that reminds me of his father's pantherlike grace, whereas Lilly has a ballerina-like poise and delicacy that resembles my mom. They are both talkative, incredibly articulate and they tease each other constantly. There is an obvious undercurrent of deep affection between them. Jamie is very protective of Lilly. I can see the beginnings of the Scott's knight-in-shining-armor act. Lilly encourages that in him, in her subtle, princess ways. Like me, she is Scott and Roe. I glimpse some of my mother's strength and grace in her, but I don't know what a grown Scott girl is like. She is the first one in four generations. I can't wait to find out, though.

We hoof it to the Museum. Lilly is tired, so I get to carry her, a privilege I hardly ever get these days. She looks tiny and delicate, but she packs a heft after half a mile or so. Jamie is content to run along, scaring the pigeons. On the way, I get a text from Brooke saying she will not be able to join us for lunch. I can't countenance waiting until Saturday to see her again. I reply, asking her to join us for a walk to the park again tomorrow at half past seven. I guess she feels the same way, cause she instantly agrees. I tell Lilly about Brooke. She turns to me, with her huge eyes. "I wish you would marry Book and come live in Tree Hill, with me and mommy, Ukie. Do you think I can ask Santa?"

I look at her. "Santa is usually for toys and stuff, Lilly bear. But it can't hurt to ask." I guess I'm going for the same wish this year. We get to the museum restaurant, and Nate and Hales are already there. We eat, and talk about our morning, and I leave.

In the cab, I write Brooke a text message. "Could you move your business to Tree Hill, if you wished?" The phone rings about thirty seconds later.

"Why would you ask that?"

"Lilly informed me that she is asking Santa this year that we get married and move to Tree Hill to live with her and mom. I know we want to make the first part come true, but, seeing you with her this morning, I can't imagine the second part would displease you too much. So, I decided to ask."

A long pause follows. "The short answer is yes. Not right now, and not entirely. I would have to keep a business office in New York, and spend time here regularly. But the bulk of my work is designing, and that can be done anywhere." a long, long pause, and she continues, in a near whisper. "I would like to raise our children in Tree Hill."

Another long pause, mostly for my heart to quiet down a bit. "I guess we are completely in agreement on that one, pretty girl." Still downhill without brakes, I guess. But, for now, without touching too.

I spend the whole afternoon and early evening hammering out details on my publishing contract with Lindsay. She brought a copy of the contract, and a check for two hundred thousand from the New Yorker, and, by the end of the day, I have another contract, and another, five hundred thousand check from Brookline and Pearsons, for the contract signing. All together, I have a little over a million dollars in checks in my pocket, which is beginning to feel a little bizarre.

"Well, you owe me seventy grand. Not bad for a couple of days of work. I'm going to enjoy this agent gig, Luke."

"As far as I can see, you're worth every penny of it. Now what?"

"Well, the first order of business is to take care of those checks. Some of our best-selling authors work with a wealth management firm in town that has done very well by them. I took the liberty of arranging a meeting with them tomorrow at ten." She gives me a card. I don't think you'll need a personal assistant for now, but you need an answering service. You should probably have an attorney under retainer, again, there is a firm uptown that caters to the publishing world, you might want to give them a call. You eventually need a publicist, an image consultant, and maybe a personal shopper, if you don't like to do that yourself."

"My girlfriend is a famous fashion designer. I should probably talk to her about this. Can it wait until after the holidays? "

"Sure, but not much more than that. Last, I've booked a collective interview for you at the blue room of the Plaza, Friday at half past five. We've got several requests for interviews already, and we can kill several birds with one stone this way. There has been also requests for TV interviews, but we can leave that for after the holidays. Any questions?"

"Not at this time. Thanks, Linds. For everything."

"Very well, Luke, have a nice evening."

I check my messages, and there is one from Brooke, from about an hour ago. "Call me."

I call her, and she says straight. "You busy?"

"Not really. Done for the day. Heading home."

"Come to CoB now. I'll be in my office, in the fourth floor. She rattles off the address."

"I'll be there in fifteen."

When I get to her office I spend a minute just taking it in. She is sitting on her desk, busy with some paperwork and doesn't notice me. I clear my throat and she lifts her eyes, smiling at me. "Hi, boyfriend."

"Hi, pretty girl. I know we are sort-of on hold, but do you think I could steal a kiss on credit?" She gets up from her desk and walks up to me, her amber eyes bright as glass. "Yeah." She stands on tiptoe and gives me the sweetest slow kiss on the lips I have ever got. I stand there, tingling everywhere, and I can see the same longing I feel right in her eyes. "Patience, boyfriend."

"Why am I here?"

"I have something for you." She picks up a pile of three white boxes, with red bows. "Go to the bathroom there and change." Inside the boxes there are a Hugo Boss two-piece suit, a light blue shirt, Ferragamo shoes, belt and a thin purplish silk tie. I change and come back out. She looks at me critically, going around me slowly. First she removes my tie and redoes it to her satisfaction. Next, she picks up some pins, and marks places for adjustments in the suit. "Are the shoes confortable?"

"They are fine."

She nods. "You cut a very fine figure, Luke. Now, you need a trim and a manicure. She turns to her desk and writes something on a piece of paper. "Go to this address tomorrow, say, at two o'clock. They will take care of you." She continues in the same level, businesslike tone. "You will not hire an image consultant or a personal shopper. From now on, that is my job, and mine alone. Lindsay is what we call your business wife. I can work with that. You will give me all her contacts, and tell her to attend to me as if I were you. You need a law firm on retainer, and wealth management services, and this is best done by people who specialize in the publishing business, so you should go with what she recommends. We are going to split a personal assistant, you and I. I'll have Millie find some suitable people to interview, and we will do it together, when we come back from Tree Hill. I'll provide working space for our assistant here in the building. When is your collective interview?"

"Friday, half past five, at the Plaza."

"I'll be there, standing right next to you. You should say that the piece is a work of fiction, but that it was inspired in our first date. How do you feel about selling your image? I can probably get you some interesting deals in the industry."

"I have no objection in principle, but I would need to see the fine print. I couldn't, for instance, sign an exclusive contract for fancy mens shoes while I am also an inner city basketball coach. I guess."

"That's an interesting point. The coaching is a great personal image hookup. Do you mind if some press shows up on Saturday?"

"Absolutely not. The work the city league does with these kids needs all the publicity it can get."

She smiles. "I like the way your mind works, boyfriend. This is going to be a fun ride. I have a favor to ask."

"Anything for you, pretty girl."

"I want you to buy five percent of CoB. That should set you back some three hundred fifty to four hundred. It gives you a seat on the board. Tell your wealth management consultant to give Millie a call to iron out the details. The point is that I want to have a partner which I can completely count on, and that nobody knows about. That way, say, forty-seven percent is still a controlling block. Given the expansion plans, this should be very profitable too.

"This is fine. I'll be happy to be your secret partner. Give me a second, I have to change back."

I come back with the suit in one hand, and the rest of the stuff in a bag. I give her the suit. "I'll have this adjusted tomorrow morning."

I fish in my pocket for my apartment keys, and I give them to her. "Let yourself in tomorrow morning. Me and Lilly are in the office. You can keep these. Feel free to come and go, or to move in for that matter, anytime you want." I look around one last time. "By the way, this is an incredible space. I love it."

She looks at me, a sweet smile on her face. "Until Friday night, this was my favorite place in the whole world."

I have to give her the line. "What about now?"

"At your side, boyfriend. I don't care where anymore."

Traffic is pretty miserable going back home, so by the time I get there, practice is already under way. I am thankful that Nate took it upon himself to go to the court and get started. When I get there, the players are still pretty excited about having a real live NBA player among them, so it takes a while to settle them down. We do some free throw training, blocking and passing and end with a scrimmage where Nate is playing one side and I am playing the other. My team gets seriously schooled, but I cannot remember having more fun losing a game, ever.

Nathan is truly impressed. "You're right, man. Nine out of ten, these guys would have beaten our Ravens. Even with me, you and Skills at the top of our game, we could only hold our own in a very good day. And very good coaching, big brother. Do you want a job at the NBA? I could probably put in a good word."

"I'm sort of dreaming of moving back to Tree Hill and coaching the Ravens, little brother. I don't know when, but in truth, that's my endgame. High school coaching leaves free time for a full-time writing career. Thank you, though. That's really flattering.

When we walk back home, I stay back with Haley, to tell her about the walk to the park with Brooke and Lilly and my visit to CoB. After I tell her what happened, Haley comments.

"This is amazing, Luke. There are more facets to this girl than a fancy diamond."

"I know. I get a little intimidated at times. It's like having a hurricane for a girlfriend. Ah, I got it."

"What?"

"I am going to tell you something I never told anyone."

"Now you got me salivating, Luke. What?"

"For some people in my life, I have secret nicknames, that I only use to myself."

"Do I have one?"

"Yes, you were the first. But you'll be disappointed."

"I don't care. What's mine?"

"Sister. Since we were nine."

She looks at me, a little moisture in her eyes. "I am not disappointed. As a matter of fact, I love it. It's perfect. I gather you just chose "hurricane" for Brooke."

"That's right. I've been kind of thinking about this for a while, now."

"Taylor?"

"She-devil"

"Maddie?"

"Firecracker."

"Boy, you're good. Nate?"

"Well, he had one, but it kind of became obsolete."

"What?"

"Grinch. Now he is just brother."

She stares at me. "I guess that makes sense. Are there others?"

"Yes, but, I think we had enough fun."

"One last one. Jamie?"

"I'm still waiting for inspiration in his case. Lilly is princess, kinda obvious but fits. Now you can think that I am seriously considering spending the rest o my life hitched to a hurricane."

"No more fighting boredom, I guess. I envy you a bit. I am crazy about Nathan, but the action there is mostly inside."

We arrive at the apartment, Haley reads to the kids, while Nate and I shower. Pretty soon we are all asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Brooke

I set my alarm for five, but I was already up ten minutes before. I cleaned up, brushed, dressed on light blue trainers and sneakers. I put my work clothes on hangers together with shoes, and Lucas's suit and went out. I arrived at his building at half past five. I picked up the suit and went up, entering the apartment with my sneakers in my hands. Everything was dark. I sneak into the office, and, with the faint light, I can see Lucas lying on his side, curled protectively around the tiny girl in his arms. I still need to talk to Karen before letting him back all the way. But things have changed. I still don't know if I am good enough for him. I know, as a hard fact, that I cannot, that I will not go on without him. I'll just have to spend the rest of my life making sure I deserve him. I sneak under the covers, fitting myself against his back, kissing him lightly of the nape of the neck. The movement is enough to wake him up. Without turning, he whispers. "Brooke?"

"Yes."

He carefully untangles himself from Lilly. She whimpers a bit, but doesn't wake. He turns around to face me, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me against his chest, whispering. "I was half expecting you."

"I'm glad I came. I needed a little Lucas."

"Little Lucas needs you too." I giggle, and punch him in the arm. "Are we telling Lilly about us?"

"Not yet. I still need to talk to Karen first."

"Then I need you to go lie down on the other side of the bed. She can wake up at any second, and this can get pretty confusing."

"Ok." I get up, go around to the other side and lie down besides Lilly. This time Lilly wakes up. "Book." She snuggles against me, falling back asleep. Lucas snuggles against Lilly on the other side, and wraps his arms around both of us. Neither Lucas nor I fall asleep again. We simply lie there, enjoying our little family, until the alarm sounds. Lucas gets up and heads to the bathroom. Lilly also wakes up and notices I am there. "Book, you're here! I thought it was a dream." She looks around. "Where is Ukie?"

I tickle the little girl. She squirms and laughs "No Book! Stop tickling! Ukie, Help! The door opens, and a little copy of Lucas comes in, looking at me with a frown. What are you doing here? Let her go!"

Lilly looks at her cousin and starts laughing. "Oh, Jamie, don't worry. This is Book, I mean, Brooke. She is my friend. Book, this is my cousin, or my nephew, or something, anyways, this is James Lucas Scott, the most annoying little boy in the world."

In the middle of this speech, Lucas comes back, stops at the doorway with a toothbrush in his mouth and just follows the ongoing scene, with the goofiest smile I've seen in his face yet. I give him a sharp look, turn to his little copy and smile. "Hello, James Lucas Scott. It's very nice to meet you at last. You are very handsome. Can I call you Jamie?"

Seeing his cousin happy in my arms, his frown melts into a dazzling smile. Oh boy, this one is going to break hearts someday.. "Yes, you can call me Jamie. Almost everyone does. Uncle Luke calls me JayLuke, my father calls me JimmyJam and, sometimes, my mom calls me pest. But only when I'm bad." He gives me a once over. "You're very pretty. What should I call you?"

"You can call me Aunt Brooke. Is that OK?"

"Sure." He grabs Lilly's hand and drags her out of the room. "Come, Lilly, mommy is making pancakes!"

Lucas gets out of the way to let them pass and extends a hand, to help me up. In passing, he whispers in my ear. "I guess I am not the only Scott boy that appreciates your charms."

"He is pretty amazing, Luke. I love how protective he is of Lilly. And she is crazy about him too. Do you think..."

Lucas laughs softly. "I doubt it. They are like twins. Actually, they were born the same day. The day we, I mean, my senior class graduated. But you're right about one thing. He is amazing."

"C'mon. Let's greet the rest of the family."

A pretty brunette, on a soft flannel nightgown, was flipping pancakes with her back to us, while a very large man, shirtless with exercise pants was standing near the fridge with a glass of OJ in his hand. I couldn't avoid staring, he is seriously, I mean, seriously, hot. And he was staring right back at me, with a small smile. He mumbles. "Well done, big brother." The brunette turns back and sees me. "Hey! Where did you come from? She frowns at her husband, waiving a hot skillet at him. "And you! Quit staring and go put on a shirt! Boys... ". She puts the skillet down, turns off the stove and turns around to me, a slightly flustered smile on her face. "Hi, welcome. Brooke Davis, I presume."

I give her a full smile back. This is his best friend, and she looks clever and sweet. "You presume right, rockstar. And you are Haley James Scott. I love your music."

"Thanks. I love your designs too. We've met a couple of times at the Cafe, but I'm not sure we've been introduced before. Well, if you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here?"

I smile. Sometimes I just can't help myself. "I sort of live here." Lucas laughs loudly at that, He whispers in my ear. "I love you."

Haley was sputtering. "W-what do you mean you live here?" Lucas gives me a broad smile as He answer her.

"She does. I invited her to move in Friday night. Actually, she asked to move in Friday night, and I said yes. Yesterday, I gave her a key to the apartment. So, If she says she lives here, I guess she does. How much space you need for your stuff?"

I grab the toothbrush from his hand. "None, as long as you don't mind sharing your toothbrush."

And I begin to brush my teeth.

The children, who until now were sitting on a pair of high chairs waiting for their pancakes say, at the same time. "Euwww". "Gross, Book."

Lucas and I have a fit of laughter, that lasts until Nathan comes back to the living room, wearing a basketball jersey. "What, what did I miss?"

Haley directs a disgusted look at the two of us. "I can't believe it. I'm going to have to put up with this now?" Haley turns back to her pancakes, muttering to herself. Lucas and I go back laughing, and Nathan looks at Jamie, who just shrugs. "I don't know dad. It's probably grown up stuff."

After we settle down, and Haley is done cooking, I ask her. "Can I have a minute, girl to girl?"

Haley nods her head and we head to Lucas room.

Before we leave, Lilly asks. "Can I go? I'm a girl too."

I give her a peck in the forehead. "Not now, silly Lilly. Just keep an eye on the boys for me, please. Don't let them do anything too silly."

"Ok, Book. Next time then?"

"It's a promise, love."

I close the door to the bedroom and turn to Haley. "I'm sorry, rockstar.. Let me answer your question as you deserve. My situation with Lucas is unsettled. Until I can have a serious talk with Karen. I was just going to stay away from him. In fact, I was really uncertain about our future together, until the short story. After I read that, I found I am not uncertain anymore. I know I won't, I can't live without him. It hurts too much just to stay away, so we've been slowly approaching each other".

"I understand that Lilly is one of the reasons you are around now. I see how close you are. And also that, since his career took off, I get he needs your help with the consequences."

"I'm not ashamed to say, these are excuses. Good ones, granted, but excuses, nonetheless. And today I seized Lilly presence, plus the key he gave me yesterday, and decided that justified stealing a few minutes in his bed. We can't be open about it because I don't feel confortable in telling Lilly, and we don't want to confuse her."

"Are you really going to move here?"

"I don't know. I love this place. But my life is in Manhattan. I imagine we will both keep our places, but I'll spend most nights here. We talked about moving to Tree Hill, eventually. We want to raise our children there."

Haley stared at Brooke, flabbergasted. "You've been together less than a week, without talking to each other most of this time. And you've discussed where you want to raise your children."

Brooke giggles. "I know, right? It's been like this since the beginning. God, I spent my whole life missing him, without knowing. I found my missing half, rockstar."

"I think I get it. It was just like that with me and Nathan. Do you know our story?"

"Only what was whispered in the corridors around school. Braniac girl snags the hunk of the basketball team, teen marriage, teen pregnancy, bla, bla, bla. I was too busy enjoying cheerleading and crushing on Lucas to pay much attention. It's funny I didn't realize how close the two of you were."

"You should read Ravens. You know, Lucas first novel, that he just sold for millions. It's basically his story with Nathan, but my story with his brother is a big part of it. I think you actually show up in passing there, a young, unnamed cheerleader he had his eye on senior year. I thought he pretty much spent that whole year pining over my sister."

"Your sister? You mean, he was in a relationship with your sister?"

"A couple of months during junior year. Taylor. She is four years older. My mother calls her a free spirit. I call her a slut. I haven't spoken to her since she ran away, after breaking Luke's heart."

It's funny, I should feel threatened, or jealous. I don't. I know he is mine. I actually smile, which I can see surprises Haley. "I owe her a drink, or several, I think." Puzzled look. "I knew someone had taken the trouble to teach my boy how to properly please a girl.", and in a soft voice. "She did a very good job."

"Oh, euww!"

"Sweetie, we're gonna be sisters. You gotta stop being such a priss. It's unbecoming on someone married to that incredible hunk of yours. You gonna have to tell me how he is in bed, someday."

Haley giggles nervously. "Maybe someday." I can already tell I am going to love this sweet girl. Then she surprises me. She giggles again. "I'm going to tell you a secret, a juicy one."

I perk up. "What?"

"Lucas lost his virginity to Taylor."

"Hm, ok."

"So did Nathan."

My mouth falls open. "What?"

"It was a drunken one night stand when we were freshmen. He was the boy wonder, the only freshman to be on the varsity basketball team. She was the resident senior year slut. There was an after game party at his, I mean, at their father's beach house..."

"And how do you know that?"

"He told me. We were already married. We had a horrible fight afterwards."

"No shit, she corrupted both boys. I am going to like this slutty sister of yours."

She gives me a level stare. "You know, you're a bit like her, but you're also completely different. She doesn't like what she is. She's got this tough, maneater attitude, but underneath, she is ashamed. She wants to be like me. You, on the other hand, truly enjoy who you are. You don't want to be anyone but yourself. I'm beginning to see just how you got Lucas in such a tizzy. And I'm going to enjoy being your sister."

"Well, rockstar. I'm far from perfect, as you will find out. But I agree with you. I think I'm really going to enjoy being a part of your family. Friends?"

"I don't do things by halves. Sisters!"

"Sisters it is, then." I give her a tight hug. "Do you still perform?"

"Occasionally. A few times a year on Tric, and a short tour once in a while. Why, wanna come?"

"No. I mean, yes, I want to come, but that's not why I asked. I want to design the dresses you use to perform."

"Oh sweetie, I'd love that. I really like your stuff, and half the time I hate the clothes they make me use on concerts, interviews and stuff. They are unconfortable, and make me look like a cheap whore."

"Well, rockstar, with my clothes I promise you'll look like the priciest whore in town. And be comfortable too." We laugh together. "Let's go outside and see what the Scott boys have been up to."

What we find is pretty cool. The big boys are flying the children around the room, pretending they are dogfighting airplanes, yelling taunts and threats. The children , of course are screaming and laughing like there is no tomorrow. We start throwing food around, pretending we are anti-aircraft guns. And the battle follows.

Afterwards, we are, all six of us, lying around a little breathless, and Lucas' living room is total chaos. Nathan gets up and turns to me. "I remember you, when you were little. I have this vague memory of going to a party, probably your third birthday. I was seven, I guess. I didn't have time for little girls, but I remember you that day. A yellow princess dress, dark ponytails. You were an incredible little ball of energy, chattering away and in constant motion." He looks at me and laughs. "I guess you still are." Now everybody laughs, including me. "You singled me out that day, designated me as your prince, and had me following you around the whole party. You were so sweet, and so much fun, that I remember really enjoying it too.

"I was kind of used to being jealous of you growing up, little brother, but this memory, that really takes the prize. I would kill to remember her like that."

"You have nothing to feel jealous about, big brother. You were having sleepovers with Hales when you were nine, for crying out loud. It balances things out, I think. You have this long, incredible history with my girl. Now I have an even longer history with yours. Actually, I think I have a picture of that party somewhere. I'll try to find it."

We forgot ourselves a bit. Suddenly, Lilly is up, fists on her hips, looking at Nathan. "What do you mean his girl, uncle Nate?" She turns to Lucas. "Is Book your girlfriend, Ukie?". I don't think he can lie to her. I certainly couldn't. He gives me an apologetic look and turns to her. "Yes, princess. She is my girlfriend.". She looks at Lucas, then at me and breaks out a beautiful smile. "Ok.". She grabs Jamie by the hand, and takes him to the bedroom. If I know my silly Lilly, probably to plan our wedding.

I turn to the others. "Well, that was that." I go up to Lucas, put my arms around his neck, and give him a toe curling french kiss, fully reciprocated. I distantly hear Nathan's voice. "Hey guys, keep it PG. The children can come back any minute."

I write Millie and Victoria, pushing the financial meeting to ten. I call the limo driver, and I tell him to pick me up in front of Lucas' building at nine. It's half past seven, so I figure we have a little time. I pull my boyfriend into the office and close the door. After another kiss, I push him away a bit.

"We have a little time. Let's talk."

"Ok, pretty girl. First. This, us. It's gone beyond you needing to talk with my mom. We are going to talk to her together. I've talked to her on the phone, she is really happy that we are together."

"All right, boyfriend, I agree. We still have a long conversation ahead of us, about the stuff in my background and in my past. Your mother is aware of this stuff, but you aren't. You may still run for the hills after that. I won't hold it against you."

"There is absolutely no chance of that, pretty girl."

"All right, we are fully back on, then. The only reason I'm not going to have my way with you now, is that you have a full house, and I'm really pressed for time. I've got to be at CoB at ten."

"I have a meeting at ten in the city as well."

"I have a limo pick up at nine, in front of your building. We can ride together. Now, I have a crazy couple of days, now, so, regrettably, I'm not coming back here tonight, or tomorrow night. I'll probably spend the night working in my office."

"Can I come by with my computer and a pizza? We can work in parallel. I promise not to get in your way."

"God, you're not real. Yes, I would love the company. Come around ten. I'll keep the limo around to take you home when you want it." I'm pretty sure I can squeeze the time for a quickie too. I've never done it in my office, and Lucas is just the guy to christen it.

"I can take the evening on Friday, so after your interview, we'll go on a proper date. Restaurant, dancing and a suite at the Plaza. You in?"

"Of course. Brooke Davis, it will be an honor and a pleasure to escort you on our night in town, and thoroughly ravish you afterwards."

I giggle. "The honor is mine, gorgeous writer, but the pleasure we will share. Bring your suit to the Plaza some half hour before the interview and ask for the Scott suite. We'll dress up together."

"That's fine. I'm going to Tree Hill on Saturday, after the game."

"I can't go. I'm stuck here until Wednesday. I'll be in Tree Hill on Thursday morning. I was going to rent a car, but you can pick me up at the airport instead. instead. I also reserved a hotel. Do you want to stay with me?"

"You should cancel the hotel. If you want privacy, we can stay at my father's beach house. Nobody is using it, and it belongs to Nathan. We might want to spend some nights at my mom's. When are you coming back to New York?"

"I have a flight on Sunday."

"You can cancel that too, if you want, and drive back with me."

"That's fine, boyfriend. I'd like that. Oh, I forgot. I have an invitation to the Fire and Ice New Year Ball. Will you be my date? I'll take care of your tux."

"Wow. I'm impressed. The Fire and Ice Ball, with you as my date? That's a dream come true, pretty girl. I thought it was harder to get than a presidential inaugural ball invite"

I think of what I had to do to get it, and I silently agree. Nevertheless, I give him a smile. "It sure is, boyfriend. We aim to please."

We get lucky on traffic, so even after dropping Lucas uptown, I still get to CoB ten before ten. I head to my office, and Millie intercepts me on the way. "Your mother is already there. She is fuming."

I see the look of concern in Millie's eyes. She knows I'm a bit vulnerable where Victoria is concerned.. "The tabloids?" Millie nods her head. "Ok, I can handle this."

I take a deep breath, put on my businesswoman mask and enter my office. "Good morning, Victoria. I happy you could make it."

She tosses some tabloid edition on the table, with pictures of Lucas and of myself, and the caption "The steamy night of Brooke Davis and Lucas Scott."

"What is the meaning of this, Brooklyn?"

"It was a very good night, mother. The best of my life, so far."

"You and the Scott bastard." That word again. My blood begins to boil. "And the idiot boy decides to describe your sluttish behavior for the world's delight. We are going to sue him for all he is worth."

I turn to my icy tone. "Three things, mother. First, do not use the word bastard in the same sentence as my boyfriend's name. Ever. Second. I was delighted by his story. He turned the best night of my life into a piece of art that will be remembered long after I'm dead. The day you have a brilliant artist producing a masterpiece in your honor you can come complaining. Third, stay away from my personal life. You are still married to a philandering jackass. My boyfriend is kind, talented and treats me like a princess.

"You stupid girl. He exposed your intimacy to the whole world, and made a mockery of the Davis name. How do you expect to make a proper match with this kind of baggage in your name? Your father is furious."

"Have you read the story, mother?"

"I don't read smut."

"Try it. If you do, you will understand what I am about to tell you. I don't need a match. I have found the love of my life. I am sure he will offer me a ring soon, and I will accept it. And I will have his children, and spend the rest of my life loving him and our children with all my heart. If you want to be a part of my life, mother, get on with the program. Or not. I don't really care."

"He is only after your money."

I laugh sarcastically. "He's signed publishing contracts worth four million this week. And he's just getting started. Give it up, mother."

"It's your life, Brooklyn. If you insist in throwing it away on a boy without a family or connections, I won't be a part of it. She drops the envelope with her unsigned CoB contract on the desk and marches out. As she slams the door on her way out, I pour myself a finger of scotch and sit down in my desk, smiling. I recall the morning spent with the Scotts. Without a family. I take the unsigned contract from the envelope and tear it in half. Sometimes things work out much better than expected.

He comes into the office, wearing jeans, a Knicks jacket over a white t-shirt and old sneakers. He has a backpack, a pizza, with a coffee cup and a single rose on top. I stop what I'm doing to watch him. He takes a small crystal vase from the backpack, puts a bit of water in the vase, puts the rose in the vase, and the vase in an unused corner of my desk. He gets a paper plate, opens the pizza. Deep dish, pepperoni, extra cheese, drops a slice in the plate and the plate in front of me, together with some napkins and the coffee cup. I sip the coffee. Caramel latte, no foam. Still without a word, he goes around the desk, gives me a sweet peck in the lips, and goes sit on the floor next to the coffee table, grabs a slice, a soda and opens his computer, puts jacks in his ears and starts pecking. I go on, working on the design in front of me for another hour or so. When I'm done, I get up, stretch, and go kneel next to him. I take one of the jacks off his ear and put it in mine. Yuck. Noisy, whiny shit. He saves his work, closes the computer and turns to me. "Hi, pretty girl. I missed you."

"I missed you too boyfriend. Thank you. You don't have to keep wooing me, you know. I'm already completely yours."

"You called me here yesterday, having anticipated a bunch of problems I didn't even know I had and you set out to solve them. I hadn't felt that cared for, since I left my mother's home. This is just a little thank you. Besides, I like wooing you. I'll probably be doing it the rest of my life, if you will let me.

"I don't have much time, so this will be quick. We will do it properly Friday night." I get up, lock the door and walk back to my desk. I am wearing three inch heels, so I am already close to the right height. I take off my black lace panties and give them to him as I walk back to my desk. He places my panties to his face an inhales.

"I love your smell, pretty girl."

I pull my skirt up and prop myself over the table, stretching my bare behind at him. He approaches, caressing my buttocks with those rough hands of his, and sticks two fingers up my hole, while caressing me with his other fingers. I feel I'm melting around his hand. With his other hand he undoes his belt, opens his jeans and pulls pants and underwear down. "Condom?"

I speak breathlessly. "I have, I have a little g-gift for us, b-b-boyfriend. I'm on the p-patch, and... Lucas! And I had a, a DIU placed this, this week."

"No more condoms?"

"N-no more. Aaagh. Just g-give it to me, Lucas..."

"All right, my love. Thank you."

He slides all the way in. He leans over me, and starts gives me little bites on my neck, as he moves around inside me. It's little shocks along my neck and a throbbing deep inside me. It's been nearly a week, so it wont take long. Before he starts losing it, I crash, once, twice. "Holy shit, Lucas! Faster!" Then he begins to moan, grabbing my hips roughly, and thrusting even deeper. He finally unloads, after I crash the third time. I stand up, put my skirt down and pull him down for a kiss. "Thank you, boyfriend. I needed that."

He laughs softly. "No need to thank me. I think we both enjoyed it."

"Can I have my panties back?"

He smiles at me. "Can I keep them as a souvenir?"

"You can keep them, as a token of my appreciation. I'm sorry, but I have to get back to work."

Luke goes back to his computer, and his music, and continues tapping his keys for another couple of hours. When he starts yawning, he gets up, gives me a kiss on the top of my head, cleans up after our dinner, and leaves, without a word. I can still feel him a little, deep inside me, while I work into the night.

I'm wrapped in a towel, doing my eyelashes when I hear the door of the suite. "In here, Luke." He comes into the bathroom and leans on the sill. "Don't just stand there grinning like a fool, boyfriend. Get on with the program. We don't have much time."

"Hello to you too, pretty girl. I missed you."

I just glare at him.

"All right, all right. On with the program."

A few minutes later, he's got the suit on. I do his tie, and turn around, so he can zip my dress. I'm wearing a slightly understated burgundy number, strapless, that wraps around me like a boy's hug. I show it to Lucas, and I get an appreciative look. "Nice, pretty girl." I sit him down in a chair, to touch up his hair, and apply a bit of make-up.

"I'm amazed how you can do all these different jobs with such competence, love."

"I make a point to know all aspects of my business, sweetie. Preparing a model for the runway or for a shoot, involves make-up and hair just as much as it involves clothing. I can't criticize if I can't do it." I stand him up and check him out. "Very presentable. You could be a successful model, you know? You have both the build and the presence. Next media appearance, don't shave the same day. The twenty-four hour shadow looks sexy on you."

We meet Lindsay at the lobby and Lucas introduces us. Lindsay sizes up both of us in a professional way, and nods her approval. I was paying close attention to her, and I could see the intelligence and professionalism, covering a bit of lingering heartbreak. I whispered in Luke's ear. "You have to be gentle with her, boyfriend. She is not completely over you." He looks at me and nods. The interview itself is fairly painless. There are a dozen reporters, and three cameras. Lindsay controls the interview, and nothing controversial gets asked. They ask about our relationship, how we met, if we were living together, what are our plans for the holidays, about the "That Night", how much of it was fact, how much I liked the it, how surprised we were of its impact, about "Ravens", what it was about, when he started writing it. They also ask him about his decision to become a writer, and his relationship with basketball. We answered the questions candidly, for the most part, except for playing down how factual "That Night" really was.

The reporters left, and Lindsay turns to us. "Great job, guys. You really killed it."

"Thanks Linds. I'm leaving tomorrow, after the game, to spend Christmas with my family in Tree Hill." He gives he an envelope. "First, this is what I owe you, with a little bonus. You've done an incredible job as an agent, and I hope you can continue doing it. Second, I finished Ravens this morning. I sent you the file, and it's all yours for now. If you find it acceptable, we will be working hard on it next year. For now, I hope you enjoy reading it. Third, I want to thank you for this, for accepting to be my agent and editor, after I hurt you the way I did. I would just like to say I appreciate how difficult this is for you. He gives her a little wrapped package. This is a little Christmas gift, from myself and Brooke. We wish you all the best on the holidays, and the same to your father."

She blushes a bit. "Thank you Luke, Brooke. Can I open it?"

"Sure." 

The gift is a drop-shaped pendant , gold framing a large cabochon aquamarine, with tone close to her eyes. It's beautiful and thoughtful. Hm. Boyfriend is good at gifts. I wonder, not for the first time, what I am getting for Christmas.

"Thank you, Luke, Brooke. I love it. Let me say one thing. Sure, I was falling for you, and working with you now is not easy at times. However, seeing the two of you, how much in love you are, and reading Luke's story makes me want to believe in true love. I realize that I just haven't found mine yet. Second, I've loved books and the written word since I can remember, more than anything else. Working closely with a writer with your talent and helping develop your full potential is a dream come true. There is nothing else I would rather be doing. I should say thanks for your willingness to work with me, despite the personal history.

"All right, yadah, yadah, guys. You two dorks will be talking until tomorrow." I grab Lindsay and give her a hug. I'm staying in New York until Wednesday. Let's do lunch next week, we have a million things to discuss. I'll have my people contact yours for details. Sorry to rush, but we do have a dinner reservation, We shouldn't be late."

Lucas smiles. "Bye, Linds, merry Christmas."

"Bye, Luke. You too."

At the restaurant, we sit across each other, each with a glass of wine, as we wait for our meal. We've been talking about the interview, but after a little silence, Lucas turns to me with a serious look. "I am comfortable with you, like we were the oldest of friends, and I am crazy for you, body and soul. But I still feel I hardly know you. So I propose a game. We ask questions. Preferably difficult, embarrassing, hard questions. And we try to answer them. What do you think?

"In the spirit of honesty, boyfriend, it makes me uncomfortable. I've done many things I am not proud of in my twenty years. But I am game. Let me go first. You've been in love before. Tell me about them. He tells me about Taylor and Maddie. With Taylor, it is as Haley told, an older woman that gets involved with a younger boy and ends up running away. Luke is clearly still fond of her, despite the heartbreak, and she is who taught him how to enjoy sex, and how to please his partner. Maddie is a different story. He is clearly still mad at her. They were together for about six months, during his sophomore year in college. Again, she was an older woman, a graduate student, and it was very intense, sexually and emotionally. Lucas said they fought a lot, often because of his jealousy. The relationship imploded when Lucas walked in on Maddie making out with her professor. He tells me he became angry with women, and spend the following year getting drunk and having sex with whoever crossed his path. He said that he only got back to himself after Haley had an accident and broke her leg. She had to spend two months hobbling around, and with Nathan in the middle of basketball season, and Jamie a crazy active three-year-old, Luke moved in with them to take care of Haley and Jamie. He ended up living with them for a whole year, and getting over Maddie.

He asked the same thing about me, and I told him my story, a little girl with too much money and not enough love, raised by a succession of housekeepers and nannies, left alone at thirteen with no parents and a credit card. I told him about Peyton, about cheerleading and about sophomore and junior years, when I became the school queen, and the school slut, getting drunk and sleeping with every single boy I could get my hands on. I told him about meeting his mother, and finding in her the parent I never had. I told him about breaking up with Peyton over a boy, and a pregnancy scare, and how Karen helped me through that, her faith that I was better than what I showed the world. I told him of my parents losing their money, of spending several months living in his bedroom, meeting Rachel, finding my better self, running for class president.

I told him about Chase, the only other boy I ever called boyfriend, and how that relationship ended over a sex tape. I told him about a series of gorgeous boys in New York, that I used for their bodies, and threw away before they could get too attached. I told him about the previous six months, where, bored by the boy game, I threw myself at work. And I told him about my bitch of a mother, circling around like a vulture, now that I had something she coveted.

The conversation lasted through dinner, and, abandoning the plan to go dancing, continued as we got back to the hotel and into the night. He told me about a boy growing up with abandonment, about his love of books, and of Haley, of fixing cars and his uncle Keith, of the Rivercourt, of hating his brother, and becoming a Raven. He told me of pulling his father out of a fire, and his guilt, when the man he saved payed him back by taking away the only father he knew. The guilt that he still feels every time he looks at Lilly. I tell him that he did the right thing when he pulled Dan out of that fire. That he wouldn't have been true to himself if he didn't, and that killing Keith was all on Dan. He told me of his deepest fear, of becoming Dan, of being like Dan, and I told him of my similar deepest fear concerning Victoria. We cried, and we laughed, and we fell asleep in each other's arms without ever removing our clothes. One week after that other night, we fell in love with each other all over again.

Next morning we woke up and ran to his apartment in Queens, arriving while Haley was making breakfast. Lilly ran into my arms, "Book, Ukie! I missed you. Where were you?"

"Oh, sweetie, we were just talking, and I lost track of time. I have something for you." I opened a large CoB bag I had been carrying, and brought out three identical cheerleader outfits in green and white, designed after the players jerseys. The short dresses were designed to be used over long sleeve turtlenecks and leggings, and included matching white and green sneakers. I even arranged for three sets of pom-poms, two regular size and a miniature one. Lilly was incredibly excited, but Haley was a little less so.

"You are not going to get me into that outfit."

Lilly took charge in convincing Haley. "Oh, aunt Haley, please! You will look so pretty." Lilly had the big eyes and the pouting down to a science. Jamie decided to join Lilly's side. "C'mon, mommy, it's going to be fun!" Haley finally agreed to do it. After breakfast, I locked Haley and Lilly in the bedroom and got us ready, including doing our hair with green and white ribbons.

"All right squad. Now for some cheers" one-two-goooo-Panthers!" I taught them a couple of routines. Lilly was in heaven, and, at the end, even Haley was clearly enjoying herself. Of course, I never really stopped loving it, and I missed it like crazy.

"Boyfriend, if we go live in Tree Hill, and you become basketball coach, is there any chance I could be cheer coach?"

"I don't see why not. That's a hard position to fill, and you were captain of the squad for three years. I understand you got both the best choreography trophy and the sparkle trophy. It should be easy, specially if you do it as a volunteer."

"I didn't realize how much I miss it."

He comes close and whispers. "You and Lilly just made one of Nathan's oldest dreams come true. He's been trying to get Haley into a cheer outfit since before they got married. Look at the silly grin on his face."

I giggle. "Happy to be of service, boyfriend."

"You're looking pretty fine there too, although what I really want is to see you in that Ravens two-piece outfit, with the bare middle. I remember you in that outfit during the championship game, but you'd fill it up much nicer now."

"You got that right, boyfriend. I'll take it to Tree Hill, and I will give you a nice lap dance as part of your Christmas gift." I just love the goofy look on his face after I that.

We go to the game, and the whole neighborhood is there. Since the home team is already in the playoffs, it's a pretty relaxed crowd, out for a good time. Also, the people here, and the players, are clearly very fond of Lucas. There is a van from a local News station setting up to make a piece on the game, and their focus is on the handsome young coach for the home team. They interview some of the players, and their families. When they interview Lucas, he manages to focus on the good work the City League does for these kids, who go to public schools without an athletics program. I can't even begin to describe how proud I am of him.

Home team wins the game easily, and we girls have a lot of fun with our little cheering squad. After the game, a group of mothers approaches me. They say some of the neighborhood girls want to organize a cheering squad for the playoffs. Since I'm coach' girlfriend and all, they wanted to ask for my help in doing it. I say I'd be happy to do it, that the girls should come to the first practice after new year's and I would teach them some routines, and get them outfits. We go back to the apartment, and, after organizing their departure, Lucas goes pick up their car. He comes back with this incredible vehicle, a huge vintage Cadillac, top down, all white, chromes and with blue leather interior. He honks his horn and the Scotts come down with the baggage, car seats and huge smiles. We hug, and we kiss, me and Lilly even cry a little. After everybody is settled, Lucas comes to me for a goodbye kiss.

"I'll miss you, boyfriend. Drive safely. See you in a few days."

"Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Can we make out in the back seat? I know just the right spot."

"I think I know it too. Beach parking after sunset?" He nods. "You're on, gorgeous. I've done it there before, but not with this much space, or in such good company."

"Same here, pretty girl. Hurry home."

"Counting the minutes, boyfriend."


	6. Chapter 6

AN: The story is essentially over with this update. The next chapter will be an epilogue, briefly showing the Christmas party, the ball, their wedding and their children. I would like to thank the reviewers for their attention to this effort. As usual, I own no part of OTH.

Chapter 6 – Lucas

We pass the "Welcome to Tree Hill" sign a little before midnight. I texted my mother from our last stop, and she told me to come home with Lilly, that she would be waiting. So we drop Nate, Haley and Jamie at their place, and head home. Mom hears the car arriving and comes outside, picking up sleeping beauty from the car seat to her bed, while I unload the car. Lilly has my old room, with a dresser in front of the outside door, and made up into a beautiful little girl's room, decorated with a princess theme. The old living room sofa became a foldable full size futon, which is where I sleep when I'm home. Mom had already made my bed. I just change into boxers and a t-shirt, brush my teeth and come to the living room, with a beer and a book, with the intention of relaxing a little before going to sleep. I'm very tired, since I slept little the night before, and did most of the driving today. Of course, when I get there, mom is sitting on the futon, waiting to talk.

"Hi mom. I'm glad to be home. I missed you."

"I missed you too, sweetheart. I'm not going to keep you long. We can talk tomorrow. I just want to know. How are things between you and Brooke?"

"Actually, they couldn't be better. Last night we talked, mom. Really talked."

"That's fine, dear. It's all I needed to hear. We will talk tomorrow. Good night."

"Good night, mom."

Before I turn off the light, I send Brooke a text. "Home safely. Miss you. xx.", A reply comes back thirty seconds later. "Good. Miss u 2. Kss to K and L. xox."

I wake up with a weight in my chest, and a pair of large blue eyes staring at me. "Good morning Lilly bear. What time is it?"

"Good morning, Ukie. Mommy said I could wake you. She made pancakes."

I check my cell. It's nine, and there is a message from Nathan, from half hour ago. "Rivercourt?" I reply "Ten ok?", and a few seconds later. "Fine. See u there."

"Do you want to go to the Rivercourt, princess? I'm going to shoot some hoops with uncle Nate."

"Sure. Can I use my cheerleader outfit?"

"Of course, sweetie. Why don't you go put it on, and show mom the routines Brooke taught you and aunt Haley?"

Mom is setting the table when I come into the kitchen. I pick up some coffee and sit, and she drops a stack of pancakes in front of me. "Good morning mom."

"Good morning Lucas. Oh, my!" I look behind me, and there is Lilly, in her cheerleader outfit and her pom-poms."

"Look mommy, Book made me a cheerleader dress. I was in her squad, mommy, Book, aunt Haley and I, and we cheered for Ukie's team! And we won!" She launches into one of the routines they were using yesterday. "One... two... three, Gooooo, Panthers!"

"Oh! That was very nice, sweetheart." She turns to me, her eyes brimming. "I wish I had been there."

"If you had been there, I think you'd have been recruited for the squad too."

Mom blushes a bit. I suspect she would have enjoyed that very much. "Brooke, Haley and Lilly..." And, after a pause. "How did Brooke convince Haley to play?"

"It wasn't Brooke. It was princess here, and her knight Jamie. Brooke just made the outfit."

Mom laughs. "I guess she wouldn't say no to those two."

"You should have seen Nate's face."

"I wish I had seen yours. I'm dying to see you and Brooke together."

Lilly decides to improvise her own routine. "Book and Ukie, Ukie and Book. Gooooo, Brucas!"

Mom and I burst into laughter. "That was very good, sweetheart."

"We have a natural, ladies and gentleman. I give you, your future cheer captain, Lilly Roe Scott."

Lilly bows with a flourish. "Thank you, Ukie, thank you mom. Can we go to the Rivercourt? I want to show uncle Skills my new outfit."

"In a few minutes, Lilly bear. Practice your routines, and let me talk with mom." I turn to mom. "What do you think?"

Mom laughs, softly. "I think you should ask Brooke for another couple of cheer outfits. We are going to have a hard time getting her out of this one."

"True. I'll call her and ask."

"So, last time I talked to you, Brooke had ran away, and you wrote a story. From what I hear, Brooke, Haley and Lilly were, all three of them, cheering at your game yesterday. I also saw yours and Brooke's face, on the cover of a tabloid at the supermarket a couple of days ago, so I gather a lot has happened. Do you mind filling me in?"

"It's a bit of a long story, mom. How about this. You close the Cafe today at ten, right? I come by, help you clean up, we have a bowl of chili and we talk? Lilly can spend the night at Haley's."

"That's fine, sweetheart. Come back half past noon and we will have lunch before I go to the Cafe."

"I'll go pick a tree with Lilly this afternoon and I'll bring down the Christmas decorations."

"You two go to the Rivercourt, then. Have fun."

When we get to the Rivercourt, Nate and Jamie are there, together with Skills, Fergie, Junk, and a young fellow I haven't met.

Lilly runs ahead, straight to Skill, Fergie and Junk. "Uncle Skills, look at me! I'm a cheerleader now."

"And a very pretty one, princess Lilly. Where did you get this dress, baby girl?"

"Book made it for me! She's Ukie's girlfriend now, but she was my friend first."

"Book, hm? You mean Brooke Davis, former captain of the Tree Hill High cheer squad and famous fashion designer?"

"That's her, uncle Skills."

He looks at me with the corner of his eye, nodding his head. "Lucky, lucky dog."

Lilly starts going through her cheering routines, but her knight companion is having none of that. Jamie grabs her hand, pulling her along and yelling, "C'mon, Lilly! Let's go play." She gives him an annoyed look, then shrugs, smiles and runs after him.

Skills gives me a half hug. "So, Brooke Davis, dog? Good job!"

Skills went to college in Wilmington, which is less than an hour away, so he was probably coming to the Ravens games regularly. "You know her?"

"I know of her, man. For three years, she was the only thing worth watching during the Raven's games. The team itself was sucking ass real bad after Whitey left. It still is."

Fergie interjects. "You're exaggerating, man. Jake's curly blonde was pretty hot too, and there was that smoking redhead, the year the girls won the Sparkle. Boy, the squad was fine that year!"

"Well, this young man here is Matt Hougan. Matt, these are the legendary Scott brothers, Nathan, of the Bobcats, and Lucas. Matt here is a sophomore at Tree Hill, but a little fairy told me he's going to be the Raven's varsity point guard next year. So, I thought to invite him here to our school, and teach him a thing or two."

We split teams, and it was me, Skills and Matt against Nathan, Fergie and Junk. Of course Nathan unbalanced things, but Skill and I still had some of our old Rivercourt magic, and the boy was actually very good. We lost, but we held our own until the last few baskets.

I decide it was worth doing it again. "That was nice, guys. What do you say? Rematch, say, Thursday night at nine?"

"What do you guys say?" Nods. "All right, big brother, you're on."

"Nate, can I drop Lilly off for a sleepover tonight? I need some quiet time to talk to mom.

"That's fine, Lucas. You know she's always welcome, isn't that right, princess?."

"I'll drop her off after dinner. I can take them both off your hands tomorrow, if you and Hales want some time to yourselves."

Nathan smiles. "I'm sure that will be fine too, big brother. Me and the missus need some quiet time as well."

"Brooke is arriving Thursday morning. Could we have the beach house?"

"It's been empty for a while, Lucas. Actually, I would be glad to give you the damn thing. I'm not going to use it. Too many bad memories." I don't particularly want anything that belonged to Dan, but I guess that ship sailed the moment I was conceived. It's a nice house. I don't really have any bad memories of it, just a few wild parties. A couple of times, I hanged out with Jake, Peyton and Brooke there. And now I guess we could use a decent home in Tree Hill.

"That's ok, little brother, I can buy it from you."

"No, I wouldn't feel right selling it to you. It should have been half yours anyways. I'll give you the keys tonight and I'll have a deed made out to you Monday. Just get someone to do some serious cleaning and airing before you use the place."

At lunch, we were joined by mom's boyfriend Andy. He's a little younger than mom, rather good looking, and, given that mom was dating him, probably a very decent guy. He was clearly very confortable with Lilly, and vice-versa. We talked about basketball during lunch, discussing this morning's pick up game, and I went on, to talk about my Panthers, and about New York's city league. He was then talking about his business, how he tried a internet businesses, and, after a few failures, he got one big success, which he cashed in, and, since then, he kept a distant hand on some of his investments, and had the spare time to teach courses on business practices at the community college. I told him that my girlfriend was a business woman, and talked a bit about Clothes over Bros. I mentioned CoB was under accelerated expansion, and he said he would like to talk to Brooke at length, and eventually share his experience with planning and financing business expansion.

After lunch, we went to buy a tree. Now, I've been doing this with Lilly since she was one year old, and we are very particular about Christmas trees. The right size, the right amount of foliage, the right shade, not too dry, firm needles. We went to a tree lot, and spend two hours looking at every single tree, until we found the right one. We brought it back home, driving the Caddy with the top down and the tree in the back. We put the tree in its place, and I got all the ornaments down from the attic, to go about decorating it. By six, we had the job in hand, all done except for the star on top. We would leave to add that, and plug it in to check the lights when mom was around. After we were done, Lilly went around the tree one last time, adjusting some of the ornaments. She finally turned to me and said. "We are missing some gifts. Did you buy something for Book?"

"I had something made for you to give her. It should arrive tomorrow."

"What is it?"

"It's a lily. I had a brooch made in the shape of a lily, with sparkling stones."

She smiled, and her eyes brightened. "Good idea, Ukie. I think she will like that."

After that, she asked me something that had probably been in her mind since she found out about Brooke and I. She almost whispered, "Ukie, are you and Book having babies?"

I kneeled down in front of her, and took a bit of hair out of her face. "I hope so, Lily bear. Not right now, but someday. You will be their aunt."

"I will?" She clearly found the idea of being an aunt pretty amazing.

"Sure, You will be aunt Lilly bear, princess of the Scotts."

"Is Jamie going to be their uncle?"

"No. He will just be cousin Jamie the brave, knight of the Scotts." Now, that got me a double wattage smile. Jamie was never going to live that one down.

"You're silly!"

"I thought you were silly Lilly."

"I'm silly Lilly, you're just silly."

She went to shower and changed her cheerleader outfit for a pretty dress, I tried, for the hundredth time, to braid her hair, with mixed results, packed her an overnight bag, and we left for dinner at the Cafe.

Mom was cooking. We sat at the counter and shouted together "Hi mom!"

She smiled at us. "Hello, children! Let me guess: Cheeseburger and a chocolate shake for the gentleman, spaghetti and meatballs and a glass of wine for the lady."

Lilly sighed, "No mommy, I can't drink wine. A glass of milk for the lady."

"Coming right up!"

I honestly don't know how I managed to live away from these two for so long. After dinner I take Lilly to Nathan and Hales. I stop for a second to talk to Hales. "Hi hales, I have a few questions. First, Christmas dinner is going to be here or at mom's?"

"Here. Royal and May are coming, by the way."

"Do you need any help setting up? I imagine you and mom have the food thing under control."

"Decorations is Nathan's business. He might want some help."

"Have you invited Whitey?"

"Sure, he is coming. The Rivercourt gang is going to come by, but they have their own parties to go to."

"Brooke doesn't have family, but she would spend Christmas with Peyton and her father, plus Jake and his parents. Do you mind if I invite them?"

"Not at all. The more the merrier. Just tell your mom."

"All right, see ya later."

Next I hunt for Nathan. "Hi little brother. I offered help with setting up the party, and I was told to report to you. Anything I can do?"

Nathan gives me a relieved smile. "Just set the day aside for me tomorrow. Say, be here at nine. We'll go buy a tree on your Caddy, and you can help me with the outside decorations." Nathan knows I'm much handier than he is. The advantages of growing up poor... "By the way, here is the key to the beach house. Enjoy."

"Thanks. I left Lilly's bag in the living room."

Finally I go to Jamie's room, where Jamie and Lilly are watching Little Mermaid, Lilly's choice, probably, and kiss them goodbye. On the way back, I stop at the Sawyer's, and find Jake and Peyton there. I give Jake a hug, and kiss Peyton on the cheek. Brooke is right. The skinny blonde turned into a remarkably beautiful woman.

"So, I hear you two are getting hitched. Congratulations."

Jake smiles. "So, you finally got it on with Brooke. Sure took you long enough."

I laugh. "She looks a little different now. So do you, goldilocks, you've become quite the knockout, haven't you?"

"Thanks, Luke. You don't look bad yourself."

Jake grabs Peyton and pulls her in. "Hey, this knockout is mine. You have yours. So, since you snagged her maid of honor, would you mind being my best man? I know we haven't been in touch, but we used to be close, and you were there when we got started."

"Wow, Jake. That's quite an honor. I'll be happy to do it. You can count on me for a bitchin' bachelor's party too."

"Listen, guys, I came on a simple mission. We are having a gigantic Christmas party at Nathan and Hales place. Would you guys like join us? The invitation includes Larry and your parents, Jake. Also, Brooke and I are staying at Dan's old beach house. I would really like it if the two of you came by to get drunk and hang out, just the four of us, when Brooke gets here. For old times' sake."

"Definitely yes for the second, and we'll get back to you on the first after consultations."

"Ok. Very good. I'm off then."

Peyton, who had been strangely quiet during the conversation, pulls me aside. "You know, you are one very lucky guy."

"I know that."

"Take good care of her. You are the first guy she's ever been in love. Protect her. Or else."

This is her best friend, and I love her for her protective impulse. I look straight into her eyes and put all my sincerity in my voice. "I intend to spend the rest of my life trying to be worthy of her, blondie."

Peyton giggles. "She did say you have a way with words. And with other things as well."

I give her a kiss in the cheek. "It's going to be fun, girl. You'll see. Ah, I have a business question for you. Would you have any interest in collaborating on a series of children's books? I had an idea this afternoon..."

"I'd love that, Lucas."

It was close to ten when I parked in front of the Cafe. Mom had already finished cleaning up, and was waiting for me, sitting at the counter. "Hi mom, sorry for being late."

"It's ok, dear, I just finished up. So, do you want a bowl of chili?"

"Sure. You're having some? I stopped at Peyton and Jake. I invited them, together with Larry Sawyer, and the Jagielskies for the party on Friday."

"Yes for the chili, and that's fine for the guests. God, I've missed you so much!" A mother's hug.

"I've missed you too." We pause a moment, as we set up to eat. "So much has happened in the past week." I start talking, relating everything that happened as factually as I can, leaving out just the intimate moments. She listens without interrupting, with a pleased smile in her face.

"Well, congratulations, I guess, on both contracts and on getting Brooke back. I always thought the two of you would be good together. I argued with myself for years if I should make up an opportunity for the two of you to meet. At first, she was too young. Then there was the Maddie business. Lately you were both in New York, and I knew there was a small chance you would meet without my interference. I was seriously considering asking her to come for Christmas in Tree Hill this year, just because Lilly and I missed her so much."

"They are amazing together, Brooke and Lilly."

"They hit it off from the start. Lilly was two years old when she first met her Book. If there were twenty people in the Cafe, Lilly would always make a beeline to Brooke's lap. And then there is our relationship."

"She thinks of you as a mother."

"I see a lot of myself in Brooke. You know I love Haley like a daughter, but Brooke always felt like a piece of myself. I hate her parents so much for what they did to her. Deep down, she feels unlovable. You know what rejection by one parent feels like. Imagine being rejected by both parents."

"She told me you helped her through a lot."

"She grew up so much those two last years of high school. She was really lost when I met her. She found herself, and I think I played a small part in helping her. I hate her parents for what they did to her. Deep down, she thinks she is unlovable. That's why she protected her heart so fiercely, she didn't really believe anyone would love her back. I don't understand how, but you blew right through her defenses. You need to keep proving to her that she is worthy of love every day."

"Oh, I intend to. She told me about her parents, but I don't think I realized the extent of it. She seems so strong, so fiercely independent, that it is easy to forget there is vulnerable girl in there too. I guess being raised by you taught me to see behind the strength and the independence. In truth, I think I saw her hunger for love from the start. I was attracted by her amazing beauty and her strength, but I really fell in love with the sweet dreamer hidden within."

"I think you need this." Mom takes a little black box from her apron. "It's the ring Keith used to propose to me. Take it."

I don't reach out for it. "This belongs to Lilly, mom."

"No, sweetheart. She will get hers from a man who loves her. This ring is mine, and I am giving it to you because I believe she is worthy of you. Keith would have loved her, you know."

"I know." I take the little box, and I open it. It's a beautiful ring, a large round cut stone surrounded by smaller ones. "I am going to offer it to her this week. I know it's too soon, but it feels right. I heard this advice somewhere, that you shouldn't offer a girl a ring unless you already know she will accept it. I always found this strange. I mean, how can you ever know? Well, I do know. We both know we are forever. The ring is just a formality."

"It's going to fit perfectly too. We use the same size."

I called Brooke early the next morning, to tell her about my day.

"Hi, boyfriend."

"Hello, pretty girl. How was your Sunday?"

"Busy. Finished school work, finished my sketches for the spring line, and I am going to spend the next three days working at Victoria's Secret. I don't particularly like the pre-holiday crunch, but I'm looking forward to this. I like selling clothes to actual people."

"You're good at it too. But, in my experience, you tend to flirt with the customers."

"Only the cute ones. But don't worry, I'm so taken it's not even funny."

"I'm glad to hear that. So, news. First, do you remember Dan's beach house? Post games parties were often there."

"Yes."

"It's ours. Nathan gave it to us. Dan gave it to him before he went to prison, but Nathan never wanted it, and hasn't set foot in it since. He didn't want it, and didn't want to sell it. He made it as if we were doing him a favor by taking it from his hands."

"It's a nice house, if I remember correctly. Gorgeous location by the beach."

"That's right. It's a little out of the way, about half an hour to downtown, but it's a wonderful place to rest. Anyways, my mom's house is small, and I think we needed a place in Tree Hill, so there. We have one. I'll have the deed made in both our names."

"Our first home. How sweet."

"I went to see Jake and Peyton. I invited them for the big Christmas bash at Naley's home. They are getting back to me on that. I also invited them to hang out with us at the beach house, just the four of us, and they accepted. What do you think, Thursday night?"

"That's perfect, Luke. You're the best. I'll buy a basket of goodies from Zabar's for our hang out."

"Nice. Now the big news. Jake asked me to be his best man." Brooke starts babbling loudly from the other side. "I know, you have to call Peyton. Just one more thing. I am thinking of writing a series of children's books. I got the inspiration the other day, from Lilly and Jamie playing together. I asked Peyton if she would like to partner up on that. She accepted, so she might be visiting a few more times than usual in the next few months."

"I love you, I love you, I love you. Thank you boyfriend, that's the best news."

"I know, you need to call Peyton. Ah, before I forget, I need a favor."

"What?"

"Can you make two more copies of the panther's cheer uniform, little girl size? Me and my mom are afraid someone will use the one she has until it rots."

Brooke giggles. "It wouldn't rot, boyfriend. It's made of a polyester blend. It would just grow thin with friction and eventually fall apart. But understood. It's actually pretty easy."

Bye, pretty girl. Love ya."

"Bye."

I spend the rest of the day working with Nathan, on decorating their house. They moved there a couple of years ago, and so we had to buy some new trimming lights and specific pieces, but, by the end of the day, they had a nice tree, and their house was looking properly christmasy. The following day, I spent doing the same job in my mom's house. In the middle of the afternoon, I got a call from Lindsay.

"So, Linds, what d'ya think?"

"I loved it, Luke. I really did."

"No shittin'?"

She laughs. "No. You know I wouldn't. Editor's code and all."

"The good news is that it's basically up to spec. That's no surprise, given that you've been putting books up to spec for the past two years. I have, maybe, half a dozen points I wish to discuss with you, but I think we can send it to print and distribution with a week or so of work."

"Now, I've never heard of moving a manuscript to print so fast. "

"This is actually lucky. That way, we can start promoting your book piggybacking on the splash of your short story in the New Yorker. That means putting together a promotion campaign really fast after New Year, so be ready to put your nose to the grindstone."

"I want to pitch something to you. It occurred to me to make a series of books for children, inspired on the playing between my sister and my nephew. I want to make up a series of adventures with a young boy and a young girl as main characters. It would be directed at the four-to-eight segment, boys and girls. I would do it in partnership with a really talented graphics artist as illustrator. Just mull it over, and tell me what you think."

"All right, Luke, it sounds like a good idea, if it wont distract you from your other commitments."

"I have a pretty good idea of what the two books I owe your father will be about."

"I'd love to hear about it."

"We will discuss it later. For now, thank you. And Merry Christmas."

On Wednesday I went to the mall for some last minute shopping. Of course, the place was jammed, but I managed to do the things I needed. At night, it was pizza, popcorn, ice cream and movie night, Charlie and the chocolate factory, the Gene Wilder version, and Chitty-chitty-bang-bang, at home with mom and Lilly. I couldn't sleep that night. I felt like a teenager before his first date. She was coming home.

I am waiting for her at the baggage claim, with a single red rose in my hand. Down she comes, a turquoise tube dress, long sleeves black boots and a black belt, and a plain cream echarpe. I approach her, looking into her eyes, and I can see the same happiness mixed with nerves that I am feeling. I give her the rose, and hold her face, for a very chaste, but long drawn kiss.

"Thank you, boyfriend."

"It's so good to see you, pretty girl."

Why are we so tense? I think it's being a couple in public, and very soon, a couple among our loved ones. I whisper in her ear. "Home is wherever you are, my love." I can see her shoulders relax a bit, and her smile become a little less strained.

She mutters, half to herself. "How the hell do you know exactly what I need to hear?"

"Let's go home. There's a large bathtub waiting for us there."

Soon her suitcases come out, two large ones, and we head home.

As I open the door, she asks. "What's the plan for today, boyfriend?"

"Relax for now, lunch and afternoon at my moms, early dinner at Naley's, a pick up game at the Rivercourt at nine, and late drinks and snacks back here with Jeyton."

"So, we have about three hours before we have to leave again."

I smile at her "That's right."

"Very clever, boyfriend, very clever. Help me get out of these clothes."

All right, girlfriend. Let's start with these boots. I kneel in front of her, pull down the ziper of each booth, and carefully remove the boots. Next I get up, find a clasp at the neck of the dress, and I kiss her, as I release the clasp and pull down the zipper of the dress. The dress pools down at her feet and I pick it up, fold it, and place it on the sofa. I remove excess jewelry, necklace, bracelets, earrings and I loosen her hair, letting it fall on a chestnut cascade across her back. We are left with pantyhose, which is the next to go, and a set of black lace undies, a half bra and tiny panties. Next we get rid of the bra, letting her beautiful breasts loose, and finally the panties. I pick up my gloriously naked girlfriend and carry her upstairs, to the master bedroom. So far she has been quiet, passively helping when required and following my actions with a quiet half-smile.

We get to the master bedroom, and I gently place Brooke on top of the huge bed. I take a step back, and take a breath to enjoy the view. Next I begin to strip, slowly removing my shirt, socks and shoes, pants and underwear, let her appreciate the view as she wishes. At last I am naked as she is, with a large erection standing in her honor. I place the tip of my right index finger in my mouth, and I touch her lips with my moistened finger, gently coaxing her to open her mouth and lick my finger. I slowly bring it down, tracing a line at the center of her body, slightly pressing the nail against he flesh, so as to leave a faint trace behind. Down from her mouth, her chin, her neck, down between her breasts, slowly. She is trembling now, her eyes smoky with desire. I keep going down, her toned abdomen, her beautiful belly button, further down, the mons, against her folds. She whimpers, "Lucas". With my finger finally inside her. I kneel down, I go down on her, softly first, and then a bit more forcefully, licking and nibbling her folds, while I still playing with my finger. She arches her back and cries out. "Faster, Lucas. Faster." I put another finger inside her, sliding them back and forth, and very soon the love of my life is coming loudly around my hand and my tongue. As as sit in the bed, she stands up, holding my face on both her hands, and kissing, tongues intertwined, as I play with her breasts. She takes a step back, smiling at me. With her rough voice. "I want to taste it, Luke. You are going to come in my mouth now."

She pushes me down, so that I lay flat on my back, while she stands on the floor, between my legs. She slides her nails gently across my chest, driving me crazy with the sensation. I pull myself up, supporting my upper body on my elbows, to keep watching what she is doing. She has both her hands in my shaft, and she is looking me in the eyes. "This is very nice, boyfriend. And it's all mine." Keeping her eyes in mine, she slowly licks the length of the shaft, stopping with her lips at the engorged tip. She teases the tip with her lips and tongue. "Brooke!" With a smile, she takes it in, swallows it entire. I feel myself going down her throat, where it is tight. She starts back and forth, with her lips going from the tip all the way down to the root. "Faster, Brooke, faster". She makes it faster, taking me repeatedly from tip to root, and helping with her hands. It only takes a minute until I unload a week's load straight into her throat, while screaming her name.

"Your stuff tastes good, boyfriend." I kiss her, and I can sense the salty taste of my own cum in her mouth.

"You're a very talented little girl, baby."

She smiles broadly, dimples showing. "You bring out the best in me." A pause. I heard a rumor of a bathtub?"

It is a large bathtub, that fits us both comfortably. We are lying across one another in the foamy tub, after having done a thorough mutual soaping. "It's going to be a happy life, if I just get to wash my little Brooke like this every once in a while."

"That's right, boyfriend. As I keep telling Rachel, it's all about clean living," with a lascivious look, "and pure thoughts." That gets a reaction, which she feels in her thigh. "Ah, something stirs, down under. You're ready for more?" I just nod.

She gets up, and stands there, glistening gloriously. She plays with a nipple in one hand, and on her folds with the other, while looking me in the eyes, hungry for my reaction. My girl is an exhibitionist, indeed. "You're a goddess, Brooke Davis."

"Then worship me, boyfriend."

She lowers herself down, taking me inside and resting her hands on my chest. She kisses me, as she begins to slowly wave her hips back and forth. This is nice, but position is a strain in her legs, so, after a while I stand up, still inside her, still kissing her, and I gently lower her into the bathtub, but lying on her back now. I begin to move my hips, going in and out of her. I watch her face, as her eyes begin to loose focus, and she moans softly. I intensify the motion, and, as she melts around me, I come again.

The master bedroom has a balcony overlooking the sea. It's cold, and overcast, and we sit outside, wrapped around each other, under a thick down comforter we took from the bed.

"I can get used to this, Lucas."

"I hope you will."

A long silence. "We need to talk about the future, boyfriend."

"I have a good place to start, pretty girl. Come inside with me." I take her by the hand and lead her inside, closing the balcony door. She drops the comforter on the bed and just stands there, naked, smiling at me. I go to my pants and fish the little black box from my pocket. Her eyes brighten, as she sees what is coming. I go down in one knee in front of her, holding the open box. "Brooke Davis. It's been less than two weeks since I walked into that store, and everything changed. In this time, you've become more precious to me than life itself. My greatest desire is to spend the rest of my days making you happy. Will you marry me?"

She just looks at me, a soft smile, tears in her eyes. "That was perfect. You do have a way with words, Luke. " She sighs, and collects herself. "Nothing would make me happier than spend the rest of my days at your side. Yes, my love. I will marry you."

I get up, and we kiss, a long romantic one. Although, I might add, it takes a little fortitude. It's challenging to stay romantic while kissing a naked Brooke Davis.

She pirouettes around the room, making girly noises while looking at the ring with her arm extended. "It's beautiful, fiancee. You have good taste."

I smile. "I didn't choose it, pretty girl. This is the ring Keith used to propose to my mother the second time, days before he died."

She stops and stares at me, and then at the ring. In a small voice, she says. "Really?" Brooke has the same concern I did. "Shouldn't this be Lilly's?"

"I asked my mother the same thing, when she gave me the ring. She said that Lilly would get her ring from a man who loved her. She said that this ring was hers, and that she wanted it to be yours, because she felt you were worthy of me. Her words."

Brooke bursts into tears, falling on her knees. I wrap her around my arms as she sobs. She whispers to herself. "Oh, Karen, thank you, thank you." She looks at me. "We should go see her."

I text, warning my mom that we are on our way, so she and Lilly are at the sidewalk when we arrive. Lilly jumps into Brooke's arms "Book!", as my mother checks Brooke's right hand with a smile and speaks softly. "You don't waste time, sweetheart." She gives me a hug. "Congratulations!"

"I told you she would say yes."

Brooke lets go of Lilly and gives mom a long hug. "I can't thank you enough, Karen. For everything".

"I love you girl, and so happy for you, for both of you."

Lilly realizes there is something going on and starts looking at me, Brooke and mom, her sight finally landing on Brooke's hand. "Hey! That's an engagement ring? You and Ukie are getting married?"

Brooke answers her, holding her hands. "That's right, sweetheart. Your brother asked me to marry him this morning, and I said yes."

She looks at me and Brooke. "Wow! There's going to be a wedding? Book, you're going to be so beautiful!" She stops, thinks and asks Brooke. "Can I be the flower girl?"

Brooke looks at her, smiles, and says. "Nope."

"Nope? Why, Book?"

"Flower girl is for babies. You're a big girl, and you're going to be my sister. I would like you to be a bridesmaid, if you want."

Lilly jumps up and down, "Of course, Book. Big sister." Lilly laughs. You're going to be Brooke Scott!"

I laugh. "That's right, Lilly bear. Brooke is going to be a Scott princess too."

Lilly is still jumping up and down with excitement, but, all of a sudden, she frowns, and turns to me. "Ukie, what's a bride's made?"

Mom answers her. "A bridesmaid is one of the bride's closest friends. She helps her prepare for her wedding."

"I see. I'll be happy to help you Book. And who helps Ukie?"

"Lucas will be the Groom. He will have a best man, and some groomsman too."

"You can ask Jamie. He is a big boy too."

"I will, princess."

We sit around the dining room table, after eating lunch while Lilly is watching cartoons.

"So, children, what are your plans now?"

I look at Brooke, and she nods me to go ahead. "We haven't discussed much, mom, but we know a few things. First, nothing is going to change much in the short run. I'm going to keep my apartment, at least until the city tournament is over, probably longer because I'm going to be doing a book tour for the release of Ravens. This means long absences for, maybe, six months. When I am around, and Brooke can make time on her busy schedule, we'll be together."

"Karen, can I call you mom now?"

"Yes, dear. Of course."

"Well, mom, we want to establish ourselves in Tree Hill. This means I need to prepare Clothes over Bros to be split into two pieces. One, which includes my design atelier and the production, will be moved here to Tree Hill. The rest will stay in corporate and marketing offices in New York. I'm going to open a storefront in New York, and I would like to open a store here as well. I think this will take most of next year to accomplish, although I can probably move here by the end of summer."

"So, a summer wedding? It's a little short notice."

"A small ceremony, closest friends and family, at the beach near our home, and a reception in the house. What do you think, Luke, mom?"

"That's perfect for me. If you don't object, pretty girl, I would like to talk to the school board here and try to convince them to hire me as coach for the Ravens, for next year. This means I would be stuck here after September."

"I think that would work just fine."

"There is one thing, Luke. I hope you don't get mad."

"I doubt it fiancee. What is it?"

"You know I love your apartment in Queens. But I want a bigger place in Manhattan for the two of us."

"Oh, I kinda expected that. What do you think? A bigger apartment or a brownstone? We can go house hunting in New York when we get back."

"This is going to be fun..."

Nathan and Hales live on a bright, modern mansion, with a large pool area outside. When we arrived, Jamie was nowhere to be seen, and Lilly immediately vanished to the same place. It took Hales about ten seconds to spot the ring.

"Hey! Is that... It is! You guys got engaged! Congratulations!" She jumps on my neck and gives me a kiss in the cheek. "Good work, dork! She is certainly a keeper." She gives Brooke a big hug as well, "I'm so happy, sister, finally making an honest man out of this fool."

"Congratulations, big brother. Did you have to drug her to take your ring?"

"No. That slightly dazed look in her face is happiness, not an altered mind state."

"Hey, whaddya mean dazed?" A slap in the arm. "Don't start getting fresh with me just because I took your ring, buster."

"Congratulations, Brooke. I know you can do better, but I'm glad you took pity on my brother."

"Hey, he is well-spoken and easy on the eyes. And since you're already taken..."

He gives her a big hug. "I like this girl."

"So, when?"

"Next august, here in Tree Hill." I look at Nathan. "Best man? Please?"

"Of course, big brother. It will be an honor."

"Haley, would you mind being one of my bridesmaids? "

"I'd love that, silly."

Haley turns to me. "I'd keep the talk of weddings quiet tomorrow night. You know May will want to go overboard."

"Ok. By the way, we are planning to move to Tree Hill after the wedding."

"Oh wow! That's good news. You're planning to live in the beach house?"

"Yes, for now. We will keep an apartment in Manhattan as well."

After dinner, we go back to the Rivercourt for our rematch, and we lose again. This time we are actually up a couple of times, and it takes a big effort on Nate's part to snag a victory at the end. Young Matt is a little raw, but he clearly is an excellent player, and I foresee a good season for the Ravens next year, if I can get my hands on them. After the game, we head back home, and I text Jake that we are on our way. We arrive essentially at the same time. Peyton is wearing skinny jeans tucked into a pair of high heeled black boots, a green blouse and a suede jacket. Jake is wearing a formal jacket over jeans and t-shirt. This is the first time I've seen Brooke and Peyton together since high school, and they don't disappoint. They squeal, and they hug, and they talk on top of each other. After about thirty seconds Peyton notices the ring and they start another round of screaming, of hugging and of talking one over the other. I turn to Jake. "It's been six years since the last time we've been together..."

Jake laughs. "And things haven't changed all that much."

"Surely, they look hotter, but sound more or less the same."

"Finally they seem to remember we are also there. Peyton turns to us and asks."

"What are you two fools muttering about?"

I smile and answer. "Just about how hot our fiancees look."

"All right, a good subject." She gives me a tight hug. "Congratulations, Luke.. You snagged a really good one."

"I know, blondie. Don't worry, I'll take good care of her."

We walk right in, and I go fetch bubbly and glasses. I open the bottle and serve everybody. "To happily ever afters."

Brooke asks Peyton. "Do you already have a date?"

"Yes, June fourteen. It happens to be a Saturday."

"It's Peyton's birthday, Luke. She will be twenty-one. I will too. I turn twenty-one in a couple of months. Where are you doing it?"

"The Presbyterian church downtown. My parents have belonged to that congregation since before I was born."

"What about the reception?"

"We haven't settled on a place yet. Jake's mom is looking into it. She is going to do most of the organizing, since she is the only one living here. We can sit down tomorrow at the Scott Christmas Bash, Brooke, Ms Jagielski and I and talk wedding a bit."

"So, you are all coming? Great! Does she know I'm designing your dress, blondie?"

"I'm pretty sure I told her."

"Don't worry about your tux either, Jake. I'll take care of that. Can you send me his measurements, PSawyer?"

"Sure. So, BDavis, what about you guys?"

"Well, first things first. PSawyer, will you be my maid of honor?"

"Well, I did promise, didn't I?" More squealing and hugging.

"Jake, I'd also like to ask you to be a groomsman. My brother will be best man."

"Of course, Luke. It will be an honor."

"You're getting married in New York?"

"No, here in Tree Hill too. We are thinking August, right here. Wedding outside at the beach, reception here in the house. Pretty much just the people that will be tomorrow at the SCB, plus a few friends from New York. Maybe thirty people altogether. You don't have to worry about organizing, I'm pretty sure Karen will take care of everything."

"BDavis. Do you remember us discussing this scenario? Me marrying Jake, you marrying Lucas? "

"I sure do, Goldilocks. I did have a serious crush on this one, didn't I?"

"I'm sorry I was a bonehead, pretty girl. I just imagine all the fun I missed these past six years."

She snuggles up on my lap and gives me a kiss. "We'll just have to make up for the lost time, gorgeous."

"A room?"

"You can sit your bony ass on his lap too, blondie. We're among old friends here."

Our little party degenerates into a parallel make out session for a while. I set some slow music on the stereo, and we dance. Afterwards we sit back again. Brooke breaks the silence this time.

"There's another bit of news. We are moving here after the wedding, for good."

"Really?" Jake and Peyton share a glance at each other, Jake nods, and Peyton speaks.

"We've been talking about doing exactly that. It depends on Jake getting a job teaching music at the high school. They are having an interview after New Year."

"What about school, PSawyer? I'll be done with coursework by the end of Spring. I'll still have a couple of courses to finish, but the work can be done at a distance. I'm thinking of opening a small recording studio and doing freelance artwork. Luke's proposition of doing a series of children's books may just be the icing on the cake."

"About that, I spoke to my agent. We need to flesh out the proposal, and she will be happy to pitch it to some publishing houses. I want to spend half an hour tomorrow telling you what I have in mind. There is something else. My mother is not very happy with the guy who is managing Tric. You might get the job back, if you want it. And there is a nice space adjoining the club that is not being used, and you could turn into studio. You can talk to mom tomorrow."

"I hope it works out, PSawyer. I'd love to live close to you guys."

After they leave, we walk upstairs hand in hand. I strip down to my boxers, and Brooke removes her make up, ties up her hair in a ponytail, and joins me outside under the comforter.

"It's all coming together, pretty girl, close to the finish line. I can't believe we got here so fast."

"We've been in such a rush, my love. We are young." She giggles. "I can't even drink legally yet. I need time, Luke. Time to enjoy this incredible family of ours. Time to enjoy just being with you. I'm not going to spend the best years of my life running like crazy, turning clothes over bros into a huge conglomerate. I love designing clothes, and I love selling them to people, but I want to accompany you on your book tours. I want us to spend a spring in a winery in Tuscany, eating, drinking and making lazy love. I want to cook with your mother, and watch your sister grow up. Most of all. Most of all, my love. I want your babies."

"We can make this happen, pretty girl. You can wrap up CoB for sale, and, after we move here, you can open a little store and atelier downtown. You know Millie went on a couple of dates with my friend Marvin, and they are really into each other. Maybe they could move here, and Millie would help you manage your business, so you could have the time you, no, we want."

" It's been a long day, Luke. Make lazy love with me."

And so we did.

.


	7. Chapter 7

All right, this is the final installment. It was huge fun to write this. Thank you for your encouragement and support, my dear reviewers, As usual, I owe nothing related to one tree hill.

Chapter 7 – Brooke

I'm trying something new, leaving the high fashion diva in my suitcase, and trying the young housewife thing for size. I'm wearing a turquoise turtleneck, with a loose mustard sundress a little below the knee over it, a thin brown belt to give it shape, and a mustard band holding my hair. Very light makeup and ethnic jewelry finish the ensemble. Of course, there is a rather naughty lingerie set under it all, but my boy will only find that out after the party. In truth, I look very nice, but I can barely recognize myself. When I come down the stairs to meet Lucas, he stares at me for a long time, the little wheels in his head spinning, trying to make sense of what I'm showing him.

"I like it, pretty girl. You look very nice. Is this new Brooke here to stay, or is it just a one-time thing?"

"I think you will see her once in a while, at family functions and, I hope, PTA meetings. One's gotta adjust the style to the occasion, handsome. Let's go?"

Lucas picks up the bag with the gifts, and we go to the car. We pick up Lilly and Karen and head to the Scott mansion for the party. We are there early, because Karen has to help Haley with the food. I'm not much use for that, but I follow to try to lend a hand. Maybe my new disguise will inspire me.

Karen and Haley set me to making pretty arrangements with snacks on platters, which suits me perfectly. Eventually people start to arrive, and I am set on display, as Luke's new bride-to-be. I meet his grandparents, Royal and May, and the "Rivercourt gang" Skills, Fergie and Junk. Peyton and Jake arrive, with Larry and Jake's parents. Eventually the boys go play basketball outside, and I sit with Lilly on my lap, chatting with the girls and drinking eggnog.

Someone rings the doorbell, and Haley goes answer it. She comes back in with another brunette in tow. The family resemblance is there, but it ends definitely at the surface. The new arrival has a slightly uncomfortable mocking smile and weary eyes. There is an aggressive, defiant air to her that reminds me strongly of Rachel. I'm probably going to like this woman, if given a chance. She is definitely gorgeous, wearing skin tight jeans, high heeled boots and a sweater that hugs every curve. Karen is the first to go up to her. Karen is usually very sweet, but I've seen her angry, and she can get scary. She gives Taylor a very hard stare as she speaks. "Hello, Taylor. It's been a long time. Merry Christmas."

Taylor replies in a flat demeanor, embarrassment battling with her natural self-assurance. "Hi Ms. Roe. Merry Christmas."

"Meet my daughter Lilly. Lilly, this is Taylor James. Taylor is aunt Haley's sister."

Lilly checks out Taylor. "You're pretty. I know you're not really my aunt, but can I call you aunt Taylor?"

"Sure, sweetie. You're very pretty too."

"Thank you."

Lilly turns around and runs outside, probably to talk to Jamie about his aunt.

Haley introduces Taylor around, leaving me for last. "Finally, this is Brooke Davis. Brooke is Lucas' fiancee.

She checks me out, and my little disguise clearly gives her the wrong impression. "Lucas' fiancee, I see. How long have you two kids been together?"

I give her a sweet smile. She hasn't seen the tabloid coverage of our little adventure, and so she is in for a shock. "Two weeks." I show her the ring. "He proposed yesterday."

She can't hide the contempt in her voice. "You must be so happy."

"Oh, I am." I pause, looking her in the eyes. "I know you and Lucas have history, maybe even some unfinished business."

"That's right, baby."

"Well, feel free to work it out with him. I'll keep out of the way. I certainly owe you that much."

That confuses her. "What do you mean owe me?"

I pull her aside. My smile turns a bit predatory, and I reply in a near whisper. "He really knows how to please a girl. Best lover I've had, ever. I understand I owe that to you."

It dawns on her that I am not exactly what I look. "I did teach him a thing or two." Her eyes unfocus. She probably had a good deal of fun in the teaching. "You're not afraid I'll try to steal him from you."

"You're welcome to try, sweetie. He is outside playing ball. Just go say hi."

She leaves, and I turn to Karen and Haley, who had been discreetly following our conversation. I laugh at them. "All right, ladies. The show is over.". I turn to Haley, "I like your sister, Hales. Gorgeous and spunky. I wonder if she would model for me...".

A bit to my surprise, Karen and Haley start laughing. Haley turns to Karen. "Well, I guess Tay finally found her match." And she turns to me. "You'll do just fine, Brooke Davis, soon to be Scott. I hadn't realized, until this minute, how lucky Lucas was to have found you."

Karen interjects softy. "I knew..."

Soon Taylor comes back, looking a little dejected. She whispers to me. "What did you do to him?"

"Couldn't get a rise out of him?"

"Sweet, polite and totally unfazed. I really turned it all on for him, and he just, I don't know, treated me like a sister."

"It's not you, sweetie. You certainly have your girlie powers working just fine. We've only been together two weeks. It's a honeymoon. He could have all of Victoria's Secret angels offering themselves, and he would barely register. By the way, did you ever do fashion modeling..."

It was a bit after midnight when we left. Lucas was driving cautiously, aware of the effects of booze and too much rich food. I had to talk, if for no other reason, to keep him alert. "This party, Luke. I never had anything like this. You, and this incredible family. It's still all a bit unreal, as if at some point I will just wake up and find out these past two weeks were just a dream."

"A lot of the time, I feel the same way. Let me tell you something. When I gave Nathan and Haley their best man toast, I said that they gave their hearts to each other, unconditionally, completely. That's what made their love survive everything life threw at them. We did the same, my love, that's what we have been doing since that night. That's why I believe we will survive. We're just as real as Nate and Hales."

I like that. "That sounds like a good speech, fiancee. I wish I was there to hear it." She pauses. "Thanks, Luke. I know I'm jittery. I can't help it. Only time spent with you, getting used to us, will cure that."

Some of the gifts we got were rather special, like that beautiful white gold lily brooch. Nathan gave Lucas a framed picture, of a boy with a little girl on his lap. The boy is seven-year-old Nathan, and I am the little girl, in a yellow princess dress, on my third birthday. Peyton gave us a small oil on canvas, with Brooke smiling on Lucas lap, while Lucas was saying something in her ear.

"Let's exchange our gifts tomorrow morning, pretty girl."

"Oh, no. I'd really like to show you my gifts. And I'm dying to see what you got me."

"Puppy eyes and a pout? Really?"

"And why not? Whatever works, my love."

"Let me offer a deal. I have two gifts for you. I'll give you one now, and the other one tomorrow morning."

"That's fine. I guess I can do the same. You first."

"I'm sorry, I'm not very good at wrapping up stuff." He gives me a slightly unshapely gift. It's a faded Tree Hill letterman jacket. I look at him, to let him explain. "That's my senior year jacket. We both know I should have offered it to you. So, there it is. Better late than never."

I give a little squeal as I put it on. Such a romantic, this boy of mine. "I love it! You know, lots of boys tried to get me to use theirs over the years. I never did. This is the only one I ever actually wanted."

"All right, pretty girl, Your turn." I give him the package, in the form of a large book. It's actually a picture album. Both Peyton and I had the habit of taking pictures, and we had a whole bunch of pictures of our freshman year in a box at Peyton's home. She sent me the box and I chose a couple dozen pictures, which I had enlarged, to make an album. There are a bunch of pictures of the basketball team, of the cheer squad, There's a picture of me jumping in the air, pom-poms in hand. There's even a picture of the four of us, Jake, Lucas, Peyton and I, smiling and all sweaty after practice. "Thank you. I love it. In truth, I have very few pictures from that year."

We are too exhausted for sex. Lucas strips to his boxers, and I take off everything, and put on one of his old t-shirts. We make out a bit, and fall asleep in each others arms.

I wake up alone in bed, with a faint smell of bacon in the air. As he sees me, he gives me a radiant smile. "Merry Christmas pretty girl. There's coffee on the pot, OJ in the fridge, and I am making french toast and bacon. Gifts and a run on the beach afterwards?"

I get near him, for a nice good morning kiss. "That sounds fine, as long as there is a long shower with my boy toy at the end."

"What's with you and sex in the shower? Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Very few things nicer in this world than a naked, slippery Brooke."

"I like how your mind works, fiancee. Since I can remember, I always found water sexy. The shower is my favorite place to pleasure myself too. Actually, I've been meaning to finance the development of a true waterproof vibrator. I think it would make a fortune. Not that I need one right now..."

"All right, pretty girl. Mind off the gutter. This time you go first."

I go to my purse, and retrieve a small envelope. "Here. Merry Christmas again, fiancee."

He looks puzzled as he opens the envelope and reads the small piece of paper inside. "Really? Really, pretty girl?"

"Yup. It's the title of the Caddy."

He laughs, and grabs me by the waist, twirling me in the air. "That is so great, baby. You have no idea. I've become quite attached to that car."

"I've noticed. And so have I. You'll have to let me drive it, once in a while. Oh, by the way, the car comes with parking privileges, at the rental company's garage, so we can keep it in the City."

"Do you have a car?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. It's a blue, convertible VW bug. I love that car. I have a self-storage unit here in Tree Hill, with a bunch of stuff that I couldn't take to New York, including my car."

"We should have your stuff brought here. I think there's space for four cars in the garage here. I have car here too, a seventy eight mustang that used to be Keith's. It's in Nathan's garage, he uses it once in a while, to keep it running."

"That's cool. It's your turn now, sweetie."

"Oh, yes. I think you're going to like this." He picks up a thin rectangular package, wrapped in brown paper from behind a chair. I open it, and find a framed drawing, a sketch of a woman on a two piece plaid ensemble, the skirt right below the knee, with a ruffled white blouse under it. The paper is a little grayish with age. The sketch is signed, and I have to look at the name twice, before I believe it. C. Chanel. A signed sketch from the greatest fashion designer of all times.

I turn to Lucas and I start crying. "You know, you've been exceeding expectations ever since I met you. The jacket was incredible, but this? This is the best gift I've ever got. You have no idea how much this means to me. When I think I can't possibly be more in love with you, you come up with something like this... Thank you, thank you." I grab him by the neck and give him a huge sloppy kiss.

"You had another gift for me, if I remember..."

I give him a full smile. "I haven't forgotten, fiancee. Tonight?"

We go for lunch at Karen's and afterwards, we head for the cemetery, to go spend some time with Keith. Lucas told me they do this every year, on Christmas day. Karen and Lilly bring flowers, and they talk to him.

"Hi, honey. I miss you every day. Our daughter grows up and gets more beautiful every day. She started grown up school this year. She is in the same class as your grand nephew Jamie, and as they say, the Scotts rule kindergarten. We also have someone new today. This beautiful young woman is Lucas' future wife Brooke. I've told you about her. She is very close to Lilly and to me, but she only met Lucas recently. They fell in love, and they are going to be married next year, and come to live in Tree Hill. Please, look after her, as you do Lilly and Lucas."

She places a couple of white roses in front of the tombstone.

"Hi daddy, I miss you. Kindergarten was nice, and I really liked Ms Rosa, our teacher. Last week I went to New York with uncle Nate, aunt Haley and Jamie. We stayed at Ukie's apartment, and we went to the Zoo, and to the Dinosaur museum. We went to a basketball game, and Book made cheerleader dresses for me, for aunt Haley and for herself. She taught us some routines too. Ukie and Book are getting married. I am so happy. Book is going to be my sister. She asked me to be her bride's made in her wedding. Ukie told me that, when they have babies, I'll be the aunt Lilly. Please daddy, look after mommy, Ukie and Book.

By the time she is done, the tears are running down my face. Lilly places a white lily together with her mother's roses.

"Hi uncle Keith. I miss you every day. It was a great year, I was finishing my novel, working as an editor and coaching a really great bunch of kids. It was a bit lonely, being away from the family and from Tree Hill, but it was all good. Then, two weeks ago, everything changed. I met this young woman, Brooke Davis, the love of my life. Yesterday, she agreed to marry me. I also finished my novel and sold it to a publisher. I am now officially a writer. Next year, we are planning to get married, move to Tree Hill, and I want to coach the Ravens and continue writing. I feel your presence every day. Please look after my girls, Nate and his family.

"Hi Mr. Scott. I think I can call you Keith. I wish I had gotten to know you. There is something I need to thank you for. You were Lucas real father, and I have to thank you for raising him to be the wonderful man I fell in love with. I promise you I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make him happy. I wish you could be present with us in our wedding, and I hope you will at least be there in spirit, watching over those you loved so much. I guess I'll be here with you again next year, your daughter by marriage and in my heart.

After the cemetery, we head to Nathan and Haley's home. Lucas and I have to say goodbye, since we're leaving back to New York very early. I brought the album I gave Lucas, because I thought Nate and Haley would like to see it too. I tell Haley about the jacket and the Coco Chanel sketch.

"Wow. He is good, isn't he? I got these earrings." She shows me a pair of beautiful pendant earrings, white gold with a large diamond at each tip. "What else did you give him?"

"The Caddy."

"Wow again. You're pretty good too. I guess he really liked that."

"We're so lucky."

We say our goodbyes, promising to be back in a couple of months at the latest. Karen and Lilly stay for dinner, but Lucas and I decide to go back home, eat some leftover Christmas food and enjoy each others company. Of course, there is Lucas third gift.

I place a dozen candles around our living room, and position a large leather armchair facing the bottom of the stairs, with a broad open area in front of it. I turn off all the lights, and go up to change.

"Remember the rules of the lap dance lover boy. I can touch you, but you cannot touch me. So, keep those hands on the arms of the armchair. And enjoy the show. "

I chose a song with a slow grinding beat and looped it. I'm in full cheer uniform, the two piece, sexy one, and low sneakers, but I'm wearing just a blue thong under the skirt, and a push up half-cup bra in the same tone. For this presentation, I designed a routine that is exactly what I would never be allowed to do in school.

"I come down the stairs, timing the swaying of my hips to the tempo of the song. I haven't even really started, and I can already notice the bulge in my boys pants. It starts with a standing routine, emphasizing my legs, stopping a high kick holding one of my legs up with one hand in a sideways split, as I slowly bring my other hand down, lightly caressing my own leg and ending with my hand over the panties, teasing myself. Next, the same with a scorpion split, holding a foot next to my head, back deeply arched, while caressing the front of my thigh, and my nub over the panties.

A bridge, turning into a handstand and a frontal split, upside down.

Lying down, slight torso elevation on my elbows, legs up, opening slowly into a frontal split, eyes on Lucas eyes. Lying on my back, legs fully extended sideways, grab a foot with each hand and pull, increasing the frontal split to a supersplit. Bend my knees, push my legs back with my arms, cross my feet behind my head. A minute with both my hands on my folds, a finger inside me, another rubbing me. Losing myself in the music, in the pleasure, in his eyes...

Back up, strip the shirt. Play with my breasts, rub them in his face. Sit on his lap, kiss him with my back arched, hands on my nipples, slowly, slowly. Open his pants, let his glorious erection loose. Stand up on the arms of the chair, dance, rubbing myself in his face, losing myself again. Back on the floor, his legs between mine. Slowly remove the thong, back to him. Rub myself in his erection. Facing him again, feet in the seat of the chair. Knees bent, hands on his neck. A kiss, slow and deep, as I impale myself on him, all the way. Kissing him and moving with the music. It takes less than thirty seconds for him to come, yelling my name. I have no idea how many times I came.

I lay about ten minutes on his lap, and he is the one to break the silence. "Best Christmas gift ever, pretty girl. I knew you were limber, but talk about exceeding expectations."

"Pure thoughts, clean living and a harsh exercise routine, boy toy. I still have a few surprises in store for you. I may be a little kinkier than you know."

"Can I carry you to bed?"

"Sure, but I want a little more."

"What?"

"There's a bottle of rose scented body oil on the bedstand upstairs. I want a full body massage."

A week later, at the red carpet, entering the fire and ice ball, the cat gets completely off the bag.

"Brooke Davis and Lucas Scott. Is that a ring in your finger?"

I answer with a full dimpled smile. "He asked, and I said yes."

"Congratulations, you two. What about a kiss for the cameras?"

There's a number of people in the ball that know us, or want to know us. It seems that we've become fashionable, this season, among the glitterati. We drink bubbly, we dance, we kiss at midnight, a little oblivious to what's going on around us, lost on each other.

The following week, is back to the grindstone. We do a couple of morning shows, an interview for a national magazine, and another one for Vogue. The issue of the New Yorker with Lucas story is released, and a few days later, so is his book. I live in our apartment in Queens, commuting by limo everyday. Lucas starts traveling for book signings, but he can't go on tour, until the city tournament is over. I train a small, but very enthusiastic cheer squad for the Panthers. Lucas donates his image rights to a campaign for the city league, and other city hall initiatives directed at the city's poorer children and teens, and sells his image rights to a manufacturer of sporting equipment.

Late the following Saturday, my mother shows up at our door.

"Hello, mother. I thought I had seen the last of you before Christmas. Let me first introduce you. Lucas Scott, my future husband, Victoria Davies, my reluctant, and perhaps, former mother."

"You are such an aggravating child. And you," Staring at Lucas. "Will you excuse us?"

I gesture him to stay. "Sorry for her rudeness, Luke. You. You can just remove your sorry liposucked ass back to whichever hole it crawled from."

"I can't just stay quiet while you throw away your life, you stupid child."

"I'm sorry Ms. Davis. But your daughter is right. You either moderate your tone, or you will have to leave."

"Very well. I'll just say my piece. I heard you are selling Clothes over Bros, Brooklyn."

"That's true. I've just started negotiating an offer from Victoria's Secret."

"This is a mistake. The clothing line just started expanding. With the right management, it can become one of the major players in the industry."

"I know that, but I am not interested."

"And why not?"

I look at Lucas and smile. "My life has acquired other priorities."

"You're going to throw away your future for a boy? The company is Clothes over Bros."

I laugh. "Yes, I know. There will be a new company mother, called Brooke Davis Fashion. A small company, focusing on design, that will leave me plenty of time to what I really want to do with my future. Spend time with my boy. Bear his children. Make him happy."

"I can't believe what I am hearing. You are insane." She turns to Lucas. "It's all your fault. You manipulated this child, and now she is throwing away her dreams. For what? You?"

"For herself, Ms. Davis. I don't know if you want to be a part of our life or not. She is your daughter, and our children will be your grandchildren. Accept that, and you can be a part of our life. The door will always be open. Otherwise, I agree with Brooke. You can crawl back into whatever hole you slithered out from."

"Very well. You two stupid children deserve each other. Goodbye." She slams the door on her way out.

I sit on Lucas lap and whisper. "Goodbye, mother."

"I'm sorry, pretty girl. It can't be easy."

"I'm a fool, Luke. I always hope for a different outcome. I want her love, I can't help it."

"You're no fool. She is your mother, and no matter how much she disappoints you, you never completely give up on her. You have a giant heart, Brooke, and I love you very much for it."

"She is my mother. I'm so afraid I'll be like her with our children."

"You will be an incredible mother. Ask Lilly."

"Thanks, Luke. You will be a great father too."

"Well, since we agree we will be great with our babies, how about we go practice making one?"

"Sure, meet me in bed."

"What you're going to do?"

"I'm just going to grab some whipped cream, and chocolate sauce. I feel my kinky coming on."

The sun was setting on a beautiful summer day. "Lucas Eugene Scott, do you take Brooke Penelope Davis to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to love her, and to cherish her, in sickness and in health, for rich and for poor, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"Brooke Penelope Davis do you take Lucas Eugene Scott to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to love him, to cherish him, in sickness and in health, for rich or for poor, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"By the grace of God, and the power vested in me by the state of North Carolina, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Peyton was standing next to me, holding the bouquet, gloriously pregnant. "How far along, PSawyer?"

"Eight weeks to term, BDavies."

"Let's find you a place to sit."

"Thanks. My feet are killing me. Where is that fool? He gets me in this state and now he disappears?"

Things have been going fine for the Jagielskies. For one, the advance money from the "Princess and the Knight" was enough put a nice down payment on their new Tree Hill home. Karen had the couple managing Tric for her, and Jake was about to start teaching at Tree Hill High in a few weeks.

After settling my maid of honor in a comfortable place, I went hunting for my new husband, until I found him talking to his brother. "Hello husband, brother in law."

"Ah, hello wife. I was just about ready to go looking for you."

"Follow me Luke. I have a little surprise for you."

"Sure wife, I love surprises."

I pull him into one of the downstairs bathrooms and lock the door behind us. His eyes gleam with anticipation. "Settle down, boy. It's not what you think."

"What, then?"

"Well, the day we signed the sale of Clothes over Bros, I went to the doctor and had the DIU removed." I open my purse and take out a small copy of an ultrasound. "I'm knocked up, baby. Six weeks gone."

A huge hug, a kiss and some smudged make-up later, we can actually talk again.

"Oh, Brooke. And I thought nothing could make me happier. Always exceeding expectations. Should we tell people?"

"Just wait a month. Things get more definite after the first trimester."

Of course, an hour later, Karen approaches me, and whispers in my ear. "So, I'm going to be a grandmother."

Another big hug, some more smudged mascara. "I won't ask you how you knew. I just told your son."

"His silly grin was a big clue. That boy could never hide anything from me."

"I should have guessed."

"Don't worry, I'll keep quiet. How far along?"

"Six weeks."

It's a beautiful sunrise in mid March, and the gang is all together, around the hospital bed. Haley is six months pregnant, another Scott boy. The nurse brings in the guest of honor. "Dear family, I would like you to meet Elizabeth Karen Scott." She's got a bit of dark hair, shockingly electric blue eyes and signs of dimples in her cheeks.

It's a beautiful afternoon in mid-June. Lucas is walking twenty-five year old Lilly down the aisle. She just finished Columbia law, and is beginning a job at the DA's office in New York. Her soon to be husband is a cardiology fellow at New York Prez. Our wedding gift to them was a two-bedroom apartment, in a nice neighborhood in Queens, that Lucas and I never had the heart to sell. I hope they will be as happy there as we were. My seventeen-year-old Lizzie is her maid of honor, my gorgeous blue-eyed brunette, the latest cheer squad captain, who just finished her junior year at Tree Hill High, and appears to have acquired a serious taste for breaking hearts.

Around here somewhere are my impossible fourteen-year-old twin boys, Joseph Nathan and Benjamin Keith. Fraternal twins, Joe is a copy of his father, right down to his quiet bookish ways, my secret favorite, and Ben is more like me, energetic, mischievous and very stubborn. They are very different, very protective of each other, an unbeatable pair at basketball and the bane of Lizzie's existence. Luke and Nate say that a third state title may be coming Tree Hill's way, when those two get on the Ravens. They were born eight weeks premature, and had serious health issues during their first three years. Joe, in particular, almost didn't make it a couple of times. It's funny that this family arranged itself in this pattern. First, Lilly and Jamie. Next, Lizzie, her cousin Francis, a couple of months younger and Jerry Jagielski, six months older, inseparable companions. Next, the twins and Anna Jagielski, a green eyed willowy blonde that had my boys fully wrapped around her fingers. Princesses and Knights, following the crazy, successful franchise that Luke and Peyton created and turned into an empire, with a dozen books, a TV series, movies and a varied toy line.

During the reception, I look for my husband of eighteen years. A little gray in the temples, maybe even more handsome than when I married him. Looking at him still lights a little fire between my legs, just like that night.

"I have a little surprise for you."

He follows me to a corner, and I whisper in his ear. "You did it again, hubby. Knocked up good. They say third time is the charm."

He gives me a big hug, but tries to be discreet. "How far along?"

"I don't know. Probably three weeks. I peed in a stick this morning." I can see a little concern mixed in with the happiness.

"Don't worry too much, lover boy. A while back I asked my doctor about getting pregnant again, and he told me there was no reason to fear that the complications surrounding the twins would occur again. He also told me I was in excellent shape. I'm just thirty-eight. It should be an easy pregnancy, Luke."

"Well, I'm happy if you're happy. I was really dreading that empty nest anyways."

"I'm glad to be of help, husband. Shall we dance?"

"We most certainly shall."

 **The End**


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